Almanac Book Reviews: ‘New South Wales Australian Football Hall of Fame – Time On: Journal 2025

Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck

In 2010 a small group of enthusiasts formed the NSW Australian Football Historical Society. Its object was to research, gather, document, catalogue and arrange for the safe keeping of objects and items of significant interest to the history of Australian Football in NSW and, most importantly, in Sydney. Australian Football has a long and proud history in NSW. There are reports of schoolboys playing an early version of the game as early as 1867 (Matthew Nicholson et. al., Australia’s Game: The History of Australian Football, 2021, p. 188). In 1877 a match occurred between the Waratahs and the Carlton club from Melbourne. Three years later, the New South Wales Football Association was formed. In 1881 New South Wales and Victoria played a game of Australian Rules in the first ever intercolonial football game of any code at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

In 2025 the Historical Society rebadged itself as the New South Wales Australian Football Heritage Association. The AFL NSW/ACT created a Hall of Fame to recognise and celebrate players, coaches, umpires, administrators, volunteers and media representatives who have made a significant contribution to the game in NSW. One hundred persons were inducted into the Hall of Fame; with nine being awarded legend status. The Heritage Association has launched this issue of its Journal ‘Time On’ to publicise and provide details on these inaugural legends and inductees.

The general approach is to provide basic information on the different ways in which the Hall of Famers contributed to the game. This written material is accompanied with a photo of the Hall of Famer, either a snap from their footy career of a ‘staged’ portrait. There is one case of a caricature being employed (undoubtedly culled from a contemporary newspaper); that of Harry Hedger, a legend involved in the establishment and development of football in Sydney.

There are two types of written material. The majority are short pieces of a couple of hundred words summarising the contribution of the Hall of Famer. There are a minority of longer pieces – up to two pages of 600 to 800 words – for all the legends and several inductees.

The legends comprise six players and three administrators. The six players are divided between NSW players who were VFL stars – Haydn Bunton and Terry Daniher; two Sydney Swans – Paul Kelly and Tony Lockett; and two Sydney metropolitan standouts – Jack Dean and Ralph Robertson. The administrators are Harry Hedger and Jim Phelan who played important roles in administering the game in Sydney; and Richard Colless who in recent decades has been instrumental in developing the administrative ‘infrastructure’ for the Sydney Swans to become the powerhouse club that it now is.

In the discussion which follows distinctions will be made between ‘categories’ of inductees in the Hall of Fame – players, coaches, administrators and so on. Such a designation understates their respective contributions. One of the more interesting things in reading through accounts of the inductees and legends is how they performed a variety of roles in promoting the game. A long-standing player will turn to coaching when they retire; later on, or at the same time will become part of the committee of a club, or league, and will perform a variety of administrative roles in their respective parts of the footy world.

Slightly over a third of the inductees are champion players. These include eleven New South Wales players who had stellar careers in the VFL/AFL, nine Sydney Swans stars and twelve who starred in the Sydney metropolitan competition. Four stand out female players are also included. One of these is Amanda Farrugia of the Giants’ AFLW team; the only Giant inducted!

Three First Nations players were chosen as inductees. They are Sir Douglas Nicholls who became the Governor of South Australia, and after whom the AFL’s Indigenous Round is named; Maurice Goolagong who in over 300 games on the Central Coast kicked over 1,500 goals; in one game he bagged 25!; and Sydney Metropolitan star John ‘Ossie’ Grose. At a 1947 Carnival in Hobart ‘Ossie’ was barred entry to an official reception. Legendary cricketer Keith Miller, who played footy with St. Kilda, wasn’t prepared to tolerate this and lead the team back to the team’s hotel where they celebrated their victory earlier that day over the ACT.

John ‘Ossie’ Grose

Other inductees were seven Sydney metropolitan pioneers and administrators, seven female administrators (three of whom who were part of a wife and husband team running a country, regional league), six long serving umpires and one broadcaster.

To my mind the most interesting information concerning these inductees concerns those who were mainstays of country, regional leagues and/or teams; thirty-two in all including wife and husband teams. These individuals had long careers as players, coaches and administrators performing a wide range of functions. They encouraged other teams to form and join a local league and found ways to fund grounds and facilities to enhance and promote the playing of the game in their respective locations. Lindsay Norman devoted 50 years’ service to the Coreen Football League; Gary O’Connell 70 years to the Hume Football League. Brian Lenton, who has had a 50-year career in the game, found a ‘way’ to enhance footy in the Northwest of NSW: ‘The women playing is the best thing that has happened for footy up here. The fellas are now running the canteen while the girls play’.

In a Foreword to this celebration of the inaugural entrants to the New South Wales Football Hall Of Fame, former star player and Sydney Swans coach John Longmire says:

This issue of ‘Time On’ is a wonderful demonstration of the role of Australian football, Aussie Rules, that game of our own in giving us something to celebrate and enjoy. This is an important contribution in highlighting the different roles performed by different individuals across time in different parts of New South Wales; from the famous players who delight us with their skills and courage, and those tireless individuals behind the scenes performing the myriad of necessary tasks to put on games that entertain and fascinate us; that unite and bring us closer together; that makes life worth living.