2014 Round 23, Half time.

14th August Birthdays.

 

Jason Dunstall '64, John Hassall '73, Andrew Johnston '70, Bill Nalder '52,

Ben Robertson '71, Craig Williams '54.

 PLAYER OF THE DAY. Craig Holden, born 14th August 1957.

Moving to Victoria from Western Australia, Craig didn't settle well and played just 2 seasons with North Melbourne (1982-83) for 29 games and 2 goals.

Though he had been a good player in WA his unease meant he did not live up to his potential. 

He moved to Sydney and it was while there that the Swans approached him to join their club.  This he did, and from 1984 to 1988 he played 80 games, kicking 22 goals as he re found his form.

During his career he represented Western Australia 4 times and was All Australian in 1987.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.

Percy Beames – Hall Of Famer.

With Melbourne from 1931 to 1944, Percy played 213 games for 323 goals and like a number of footballers he was also a talented cricketer.

A nimble rover, he was Captain Coach from 1942-44 and was in Melbournes Premiership teams of ’39, ’40 and ’41. He also played 10 games for Victoria.

His coaching record is 48 games for 19 wins and 29 losses, a winning percentage of 40%.

Percy was inducted into the Australian Football Hall Of Fame in 1996.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers & AFL Record Season Guide 2013.

 

Did You Know?

By the early 1870’s there was an official number of players on a team with specific positions.  The team consisted of 20 players with the positions of goal keeper and goal sneak being dropped in 1899 to make todays 18 on field players used.

The first fields used for Australian Football were rectangular and only goals were registered in the score, with a team needing 2 goals to win the game. If the ball went ‘behind’ the goals it was out of bounds and brought back into play from in front of the goals. Behind posts were introduced in the 1866 re draft of the rules.

Source: A National Game & More than A Game.

 

South Melbourne Team Of the Century – Back Line.

Vic Belcher was named in a back pocket in Souths Team Of The Century and played 226 games from 1907 to 1920, kicking 62 goals.

Playing as a back pocket but also able to spend a lot of time in the ruck, he was part of 2 South Melbourne Premiership teams (1909 and 1918), the only South/Sydney player to do so. 

He also played 2 games for Victoria, was club Captain and Captain- Coach for a period of time and is an Australian Football Hall Of Fame inductee.

 

 

 

John Heriot was a 153 game player for South over 11 seasons (1958-68), scoring 39 goals and has the full back spot in this team.

As he was rather lanky but could take a good mark and kick strongly he was actually recruited as a full forward, but it didn’t take long for him to be put at full back with the occasional foray forward.

 

 

  

John Rantall also played over 200 games (260) in 2 periods at the club.  He was there from 1963 to 1972 and again from 1976 to 1979 and kicked 8 goals over all those years.

Having played against men in the country when just 11 years old, he made a fine start to VFL football, even though he had a light frame.

Selected in the state team in his first year he went on to play 5 games for Victoria and even though he played with a couple of other clubs he will be remembered most as a South Melbourne man.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.