THE BOOK OF NUMBERS - NUMBER FOUR

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS - NUMBER FOUR by the Professor

Two dozen players have worn the number four guernsey in senior games for the Melbourne Football Club since the inception of jumper numbers in 1912. Players wearing the number have appeared in nine premierships, led the club's goal kicking in three years and made assorted state teams.

The full list of wearers of the number four is:

1912 Jim Fitzpatrick (12 in 1913)

1913 William McKenzie (6 in 1912, 27 in 1914, 18 in 1915)

1914 Percy Colee

1915 Tim Collins (24 in 1914)

1919 William McKenzie (see above)

1920 Alec Farrow (25 in 1919, 28 in 1921)

1921 Francis Lyon

1922 Alf Oldham

1923 – 1924 Tom Elliott

1926 – 1932 Jim Abernethy (14 in 1923 – 1924)

1933 – 1934 Jack Sambell

1935 – 1948 Norman Smith

1949 Robert Chadwick

1950 Jack Hiscock

1951 – 1955 Ken Christie

1957 – 1965 John Lord

1966 – 1967 Peter Smith

1968 – 1979 Tony Sullivan (43 in 1967)

1980 – 1987 Peter Giles (45 in 1979)

1988 – 1991 Tony Campbell (40 in 1986 – 1987)

1992, 1994 Chris Sullivan

1995 – 1997 Andrew Obst (29 in 1990 – 1994)

1998 – 2001 Brent Grgic (48 in 1997)

2002 - 2003 Craig Ellis

2004 – 2008 Ben Holland

THE RED FOX - NORM SMITH

The above list includes some handy footballers who have represented the club over the years but one name stands above all as one of the most significant personalities in the history of the Melbourne Football Club. The Red Fox, Norman Walter "Norm" Smith proudly wore the number four with distinction over fourteen years (1935 – 1948) during which his team won four premierships.

Smith also went on to become the greatest coach in the sport of Australian football leading the Demons to an unprecedented six premierships in the decade from 1955 to 1964.

The story of this icon of the Melbourne Football Club is told in the recently released "The Red Fox: The Biography of Norm Smith, Legendary Melbourne Coach" by Ben Collins. Norm Smith and his brother Len were brought up in the tough, working-class suburb of Northcote and recruited in the latter part of the great depression years to the Melbourne Football Club.

Norm's career began with the club at the age of 19 under the legendary "Checker" Hughes in 1935 and his career soon blossomed but older brother Len moved on to the VFA and subsequently made his name with Fitzroy both as a player and a coach before finishing with Richmond.

When the Smiths arrived on the scene, Hughes was in the process of developing a team from the ground up, turning them gradually from the meek Fuschias to the mighty Demons. Norm Smith was versatile. He could play in the middle but soon established a place as full forward in a dangerous attack that included club greats in Jack Mueller and Ron Baggott.

The club's reign as VFL powerhouse began in 1939 when it won that season's premiership against Collingwood with a record grand final score and record winning margin. Smith was the star of the following year's grand final booting a record seven goals. The Demons completed the hat trick of flags in 1941 even though many players were missing due to war service and injury on grand final day.

Smith won the best and fairest in 1938, headed the club’s goal kicking from 1938 to 1941, was leading VFL goal kicker in 1938 and 1939 and his record of 546 goals at the club was only recently surpassed by former skipper David Neitz.

Smith was already a life member of the club when he was elevated to the captaincy in 1945 and, in the following year, he led the team to a grand final defeat against Essendon. Two years later, he would avenge that loss when his underdog Demons managed to scrape a draw in the grand final and then dominate the replay a week later in what was the last of his 210 games with the Melbourne Football Club.

After a brief stint as coach of Fitzroy, Smith returned to the club as coach in 1952 and soon lifted the team to a grand final in 1954. What followed was a decade of dominance that saw Melbourne win six premierships: 1955-56-57, 1959-60 and 1964 – in the most successful era achieved by any AFL/VFL club.

In the eleven years from 1954, the club never finished lower than fourth and played off in seven consecutive grand finals.

The wheels fell off after the club won its twelfth and last premiership in 1964. At the end of that year, Melbourne's skipper and star player Ron Barassi, who had lived with Smith and his wife as a teenager, dropped a bombshell when he announced he was moving to Carlton where he had been appointed captain-coach. Smith offered to resign but Barassi insisted on moving to Carlton and from then on tensions developed within the club and its coach. An umpire sued Smith for defamation but he had no support from the club committee. Then, on the Friday evening before the match against North Melbourne at Coburg, Smith was sacked as coach via notice delivered by a courier despite the fact that his team had won 10 of the first 12 games of 1965. A dramatic week ensued after which Smith was reinstated but Melbourne won just one more game for the year and missed out on the finals.

The club's most successful era was over and it took over two decades for the Demons to reappear in the finals. Some even say that the club is suffering a curse as a result of the dramatic events of 1965.

Health problems forced Smith to resign at the end of 1967 but within two years he was back coaching South Melbourne which he took to the finals for the first time since 1945 when the Swans made the first semi of 1971. A year later Smith resigned his duties and on 29 July 1973, a stunned football world heard that Norm Smith had died of a cerebral tumour at the age of 61.

Smith was named in Melbourne's Team of the Century in 2000 as a player (at full forward) and as coach. The following year he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame, its first "Legend".

THANK THE LORD!

During most of Smith's reign as football’s super coach, the custodian of the number four guernsey at Melbourne was another big man in John Lord who played 132 games (80 goals) for the club between 1957 and 1965. The son of a former player, Lord arrived at Melbourne in time to play in a premiership in his debut season. He was a big man who could play in defence or attack with the occasional run in the ruck and his forte was his strong marking. He played in four premiership teams - 1957, 1959, 1960 and 1964. Lord has had a long involvement with the club's past players and officials association.

THE NUMBER FOUR

Long before the days of Smith and Lord, the number 4 was first worn by Jim Fitzpatrick who played 81 games from after crossing as a defender from the then junior club in Hawthorn. He was the first to take the number in 1912, then changed to 12 in 1913. It seems that there was little loyalty to any particular jumper number because the next wearer of number 4, William McKenzie held it for just one year (1913) after starting with the number six, moving to 27 in 1914, 18 in 1915 before returning to the number four for his final season in 1919. McKenzie was a dashing winger full of skill and poise who played 112 games (11 goals) for the club between 1909 and 1915 and in 1919.

Percival W. Colee from Coburg wore the number 4 guernsey in 1914 and in the following season another ex-Hawthorn player in Tim Collins switched to that jumper from the number 24. In all, Collins played 20 games for 20 goals.

Alec Farrow was a clever half forward who moved to Melbourne in 1919 and wore 25 that year before replacing William McKenzie as the holder of number four in 1920. Farrow represented his state in 1920 and 1921. Another jumper switcher, Farrow wore 28 in his final season of 1921 and represented Melbourne a total of 33 times for 10 goals. The number four continued to move around as it was worn by Francis Lyon (1921), Alf Oldham (1922) and Tom Elliott (1923-1924). Between them, these gentlemen could only manage 15 games and after a hiatus of one year, the jumper was handed over to Jim Abernethy in 1926 and was finally worn by a Melbourne premiership player.

Abernethy was a rugged half back flanker from Wesley College who originally wore number 14 in 1923-1924. He was a member of the club's second premiership side in 1926 and gave great service in a 130 game (61 goal) career that ended in 1932.

Jack Sambell , who hailed from Glen Iris was the next wearer of the number four which he did over the years 1933 and 1934 in 24 games during which time he kicked 6 goals. He was succeeded by Norm Smith.

A decade and a half later, in 1949, Melbourne Grammarian, Robert Chadwick wore guernsey four on two occasions before handing it over to Jack Hiscock from Sandringham who wore it on four occasions.

Ken Christie, a strong ruckman/defender from Echuca, arrived at Melbourne in 1951. He played 70 games (9 goals) including the losing grand final of 1954 before retiring in 1955. After a year's break, the number four was taken by a fellow big man from Echuca in John Lord who handed the number to the son of the Red Fox in 1966.

Peter Smith was a forward who played 23 games (23 goals) to the end of 1967 when he crossed over to Carlton where he played out another three seasons.

The jumper was next worn by a dour and dogged defender from St. Patricks College Ballarat who played two games in 1967 wearing the number 43, For the next dozen years, Sullivan was a leading presence in Melbourne's back line who stood out as a consistent performer over 191 games(during which time he kicked a solitary goal) until 1979. He won state selection in 1971.

Pony tailed blond defender Peter Giles arrived at the Melbourne Football Club from VFA side Sandringham in 1979 and wore the number 45 in his first season before inheriting the number four from Sullivan. A player who did not always see things eye to eye with coach Ron Barassi, Giles survived a number of injury problems before his VFL career ended in 1987 when he returned to the VFA to play with Prahran after 124 games and 32 goals.

Next cab off the rank was the colourful Tony Campbell who switched from 40 to 4 in 1988. Campbell, who could play both forward and down back, was eventually traded to Footscray after 75 games (61 goals). He was entrepreneurial in marketing gloves for footballers and also tried his hand later at the American sport of gridiron. When he left the club at the end of 1991, the number four was given to Chris Sullivan, the son of Tony, who played 27 games (22 goals) before crossing to Richmond.

South Australian dasher Andrew Obst wore the number 29 for the early part of his career at Melbourne between 1990 and 1994 but switched to the number four for the remainder of his time at the club until the end of 1997. A skilful wingman, Obst played a total of 149 games and booted 60 goals for the Demons.

Brent Grgic was an early draft pick from Bell Post Hill near Geelong who came to the club with great wraps in 1997. The expectation was that he would eventually replace Garry Lyon as a leading key position player but Grgic's time at the club was marred by groin problems and other injuries. After wearing 48 in his debut year, he took number four and wore it until the end of 2001 when he was traded to the Cats. He finished with 77 games and 29 goals and never fulfilled the hopes of many at the club.

Craig Ellis from the Western Bulldogs was picked up by Melbourne in the same trade period that saw Grgic go to Geelong and he took the number four but managed to wear it only 15 times in the two seasons to the end of 2003 after being hampered by knee injuries. The mantle of jumper four was then taken by Ben Holland who crossed from Richmond and played at Melbourne for five years as a big bodied defender who could occasionally pinch hit in a key forward position. He recently announced his retirement after 66 games and 55 goals with the club.

NEXT!

With the departure of Ben Holland the number four guernsey is vacant again and, in view of the fact that its two greatest wearers were big key forwards, one wonders if it might not be handed over to a tall, young recruit in a few week's time. But of course, that remains in the future …