THE BOOK OF NUMBERS - NUMBER SIXTEEN

by the Professor

The number 16 has been worn by 25 players in senior games for the Melbourne Football Club since 1912 when jumper numbers were first allocated. Players wearing the number have appeared in nine premierships, led the club's goal kicking in six years, won three best and fairests and made four state teams. But while its latest recipient, Jack Grimes from the Northern Knights Under 18 TAC Cup team, comes highly credentialed as a leader in junior football ranks, his new number has never been graced by a club skipper in all those years!

The first wearer of the number was half forward/centreman Bill Flintoft who played 42 games (18 goals) with Melbourne in the years 1909-1912 (and one further game with St Kilda in 1913). He later served on the club committee, was awarded Life Membership in 1945 and became President of the Club from 1947-1949. Flintoft passed the jumper on to Bill Angwin (3 games in 1913) and then it went to Bobby Monk who had joined the club in 1907 and wore it in 13 times in his final year at the club. In all, the strongly built and reliable defender played 125 games (5 goals).

When the University club was disbanded for the duration of World War 1 in 1915, Dr. Roy Park joined Melbourne and was given the number 16. He played 13 games and kicked 35 goals for the club but a disagreement with a Tribunal decision saw him move to then VFA club Footscray. Park went on to play test cricket for Australia in 1920 and 1921.

George Walker, a defender from Melbourne Districts liked to change his numbers, wearing 26 on debut in 1914, 20 in 1915, 16 when Melbourne resumed in the VFL after the war in 1919, 28 in the early part of 1920 and 20 for the remainder of that year and 1921. He played a total of 49 games, 10 of them in the number 16 in 1919 but never scored a goal in any of his many numbers.

Like Walker, Hugh Odgers wore the number 26 early in his career. He had arrived in 1909 and wore that number in 1912. A centreman, he had been skipper for part of 1911 but wasn't seen until 1920, when he wore the number 16 jumper in 15 of the 16 games the club played that year. He played a total of 59 games and kicked two goals. The number was passed on to defender Clarrie Lethlean in 1921. He played 9 games that year and ultimately moved on to Hawthorn.

"Derek" Mollison, a talented follower/forward inherited the number in 1923 and held it until part way through 1925 when he switched to the number 11. He played 66 games in his career with the club (30 goals) to 1928 and wore the "Big V" in 1924 and 1925.

The next wearer also made the switch to eleven but Bob Johnson Senior wore 16 for most of his career after arriving from Quambatook in 1926 only making the change in his final year, 1933. A versatile, comparatively lightly-framed big man, Johnson Snr. made an immediate impact on the club and he was a star in the 1926 Grand Final when he booted six goals from centre half forward in Melbourne's crushing win over Collingwood. A renowned high mark and a long, raking left foot kick, he led the club's goal kicking twice and represented the state in 1928 and 1931, He played a total of 113 games - in which he kicked 302 goals.

Left footed Sandgroper, Eric "Tarzan" Glass was assigned the number 16 in 1933and held it through to 1938, playing 78 games (135 goals). Glass combined well with Norm Smith and was the club's leading goal kicker in 1936.

The guernsey was worn briefly by Gerry Daly (1939) and Old Melburnian Jack Atkins (4 games in 1940) who served in World War 2 where he sacrificed his life for his country.

Hugh McPherson wore the number 16 in 1941, 1943 and 1944 but wore 25 in between in 1942. The ruckman who "spelled" in defence, came from Footscray (13 games/4 goals in 1929 and 1940) and went on to play a further 37 games/14 goals with the Demons. He later became a trainer with the Club, and was awarded Life Membership in 1964. He was also a member of the club’s past player’s association. The wearer in 1942 was ruckman/forward Tom Ferguson who played 5 games in 1942. He managed a further 9 in number 22 the following year before crossing to Hawthorn - where he played a further 38 senior games.

Premiership player George Bickford, an accomplished centreman with exceptional disposal skills, particularly his long, accurate drop kicks came to the club from Wesley College in 1945 and wore the number 16 until his retirement in 1952. He was one of the club's best in the 1948 Grand Final replay and was vice-captain in 1951 and 1952. One of his sons, Stephen, later played for the Demons and is currently a Director of the Club.

The following seasons, 1953 and 1954, were watershed years in the club’s recruiting history when many future premiership players made their senior debuts. One of them was Clyde Laidlaw who started his career with the number 16 jumper in 1954 and wore it in 44 of his total 124 games until 1956 (including the winning premierships of 1955 and 1956). He switched numbers in 1957 to number 35.

Laidlaw’s switch allowed "Big Bob" Johnson to wear the jumper his father, Bob Senior, had made famous three decades before. "Big Bob" was a gangly 198cm ruckman from the thirds who made his debut in the number 18 in 1954 and had already played 49 games before he took his father’s number. He eventually grew into a big man, a real character and a VFL personality. He was a strong mark and a deadly left foot kick and his record at Melbourne was imposing – seven grand finals for five Premierships, leading goalkicker in 1961, state representative in 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960 with 267 goals in 140 games before moving to East Fremantle as captain/coach in 1962, where he guided them to 4 successive Grand Finals, including the Premiership in 1965. in 1966 he headed the WAFL goalkicking with 89, and a year later kicked 5 goals for W.A. against Victoria. He then returned to Victoria where, in turn he captained and coached Hamilton, McKinnon, Oakleigh and Greensborough - where he ended his playing days. He was also club Director for a time, was awarded Life Membership in 1998, named an emergency in Melbourne's Team of the Century in 2000 and inducted into the Club's Hall of Fame in 2003.

Ironically, the big man's number was inherited by a rover, John Townsend, from St Patrick's College in Sale who wore it in 153 games (182 goals) through to 1972. He was twice Best & Fairest (1965 and 1969), twice leading goal kicker (1964 and 1965) and a member of the winning 1964 Grand Final team. He suffered a serious knee injury after the 1965 season which restricted him to only 7 games in the next 2 years, but he persisted - and played a further 92 before transferring to VFA club Prahran where he played over 50 games and was named in its Team of the Century. He was awarded Life Membership of the MFC in 1971.

Peter Keays, a defender who played on the flank and the key positions, came from Broadford in 1974 and took over the number 16 in 1975 after wearing 51 in his first year. He played 40 games (4 goals) for the Demons to 1977 when he moved to Fitzroy for a further 49 games.

Romsey forward Robert Walters, wore number 32 when he started in 1977 but switched to 16 in 1979. He played a total of 25 games for 86 goals until 1981 including a bag of nine goals in a game against Essendon in 1979.

Adrian Battiston, a tenacious rover from Tatura, won the Morrish Medal in the Melbourne Under 19 premiership season of 1981, and was awarded the number 16 when placed on the senior list the following year. He played 46 games (75 goals) until he transferred to Svdney at the end of 1987. He played a further 9 games in the harbor city over the next 2 years.

Glenorchy’s Anthony "Andy" Lovell was one of the club’s earliest draftees after the introduction of the national draft. His father was a World Champion woodchopper so it was not surprising that he carried the tag "Chopper". A strongly-built ruck-rover, Lovell was a tireless mid-fielder through eight years with the club from 1988 for 121 games (146 goals) – all of them in the 16 guernsey. He represented Tasmania in interstate contests, played in Melbourne's losing Grand Final team in 1988 and was runner-up in the best & fairest in 1992. At the end of 1995, he was traded to the West Coast Eagles where played the next 3 for 43 games (20 goals). His coaching career continued in the west but he is back home now coaching the club’s VFL affiliate Sandringham.

The next two wearers of the number spent only a year each at the Demons after crossing from other clubs. David Grant from St. Kilda played seven games in 1996 and Robert Pyman from Collingwood via North Melbourne managed 19 games (8 goals) in 1997.

The club then awarded the number 16 the first selection in the 1997 National Draft – Travis Johnstone from Under 18 TAC Cup club Dandenong Stingrays, The grandson of former Fitzroy strongman Norm Johnstone, Travis was one of Melbourne’s most skilled players over the following decade but injuries and a shortage of application hampered his progress. It wasn't until 2002 - when he finished third in the best & fairest and equal fourth in the Brownlow Medal - that his real form was consistently on display. He broke through for a "Bluey" Truscott club champion award in 2005 but remained unable to translate his undoubted brilliance into the consistent elite status that the football world expected from him. At the end of 2007, after 160 games and 111 goals, he was traded to Brisbane for the first round pick (14) with which Melbourne claimed the next wearer of the famous number 16 guernsey.

JACK GRIMES - IN THE MAKING

[With thanks to the Melbourne Past Players and Officials Newsletter from which some of the information contained in this article was adapted]