THE BOOK OF NUMBERS - THE NUMBER THREE

Back in June, we ran this article by the Professor on the Number Three at Melbourne. In the public interest, could somebody please supply an extra paragraph or two to the story ...

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS - THE NUMBER THREE by The Professor

Garry Lyon wore the number three throughout his entire career that stretched from 1986, when he emerged as a skinny young 18 year old from the Melbourne Football Club Under 19's via Kyabram to 1999 when a chronic back problem forced his retirement in the middle of that year.

His was a highly decorated career with the Demons. He won the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal awarded to the Melbourne Football Club player judged best and fairest for the season on two occasions (1990 and 1994), led the club’s goal kicking in 1994 and 1995 and gained interstate selection for eight consecutive seasons from 1988 to 1995. He was named in the All-Australian team in 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1995.

Lyon's emergence as a player with the Demons coincided with the new respect the club gained in the late 1980's after more than two decades of struggle as a perpetual cellar dweller in VFL ranks. As a youngster he was an important player in his team's surge towards the final series of 1987- its first in 23 years but tragically, he missed out on the team's finals run due to a broken leg sustained in the final home and away game of the season at Footscray. There are many judges who would argue that had he been available during that finals series, the club might have been able to go all the way to a flag. Returning for the following year, the 193 cm 96kg forward displayed his match winning abilities and was a vital cog in the team's run to the 1988 grand final although that game resulted in a massive defeat for the club and is one best forgotten by all.

Lyon’s agility, strength, speed, skill and football brain made him a formidable opponent for the opposition whether at centre half back or in a key forward position. He was appointed captain replacing Greg Healy at the beginning of 1991 and was an inspiring leader for seven seasons despite the latter part of his career from 1993 onwards being hampered by his chronic back problems. His ten goals against Footscray in a semi final in 1994 will long be remembered as one of the greatest individual performances at the club. The injury problems persisted however and he eventually lost the captaincy in 1998 when it was clear that his senior team appearances would be restricted due to a bulging disc in his back. He struggled to play only two matches in 1999 and retired in mid-season.

Lyon was awarded Life Membership of the Club in 1995, and in 2000 he was named on a half forward flank in Melbourne’s Team of the Century. He was an inaugural inductee into the Club’s Hall of Fame in 2001 and he continues his association with the game as a star compere of television’s The Footy Show.

Lyon is one of twenty-three players who have worn the number three at senior level with the Melbourne Football Club since 1912 when player numbers were introduced. The number has appeared in five premierships beginning with Edward Thomas in 1926 and ending with Peter Marquis in 1957. It has boasted three club best and fairests (Gerard Healy wore the number when he won the Truscott Medal in 1984 followed by Lyon in 1990 and 1994) and the leading goal kicker on seven occasions, three state team representatives, All Australian representation five times and of course, a representative in both Melbourne's Team of the Century and Hall of Fame.

It all began with the burly Alf George, who was skipper in 1912 and 1913. The 183 cm 87 kg George was a half back who came to the club from Essendon via Numurkah and played 55 games (12 gaols) for Melbourne between 1911 and 1915. He wore the number three in 1912 and also wore the numbers 14, 29 and 31 at the club.

In 1913, the number was taken by Jack D. Robertson, a brilliant but showy centreman/winger from Port Melbourne Railway United. Who played 60 games (16) goals between 1909 and 1913. Like George, he changed his number on a regular basis while at the club. The number went to Jack Huntington who only played one game in his debut season of 1914 and resumed after WW1 wearing No.19 in 25 games (21 goals) during 1919 and 1920.

Jack "Dookie" McKenzie’s career began at Essendon in 1901 and he was rated by many as one of the greatest players of the early days of football. He played in the ruck in the Bombers’ premiership in his debut season and was associated with a number of different clubs in the VFA and elsewhere before taking on the captain coaching role at Melbourne where, despite having lost his pace and being in his veteran years, he led the club to its first finals series in fifteen seasons. He was a natural all-round sportsman who also played cricket for Victoria.

Melbourne went into recess for the remainder of the war and in 1919, Percy Love appeared in the number three on 11 occasions (6 goals) that year. He was followed by Leo Little, who switched from 31 to 3 in 1920 during which time he played 6 of his 12 games with the club.

Edward Thomas from Oakleigh was the first "long-term" custodian of the number three making his debut in 1921 and wearing that number as a solid half back flanker in Melbourne's 1926 premiership team. Thomas played 101 games before returning to his side which was now in the VFA in 1929 but he returned to add a further three games (wearing 12) in 1932.

George Margitich arrived from South Adelaide in 1930 and wore number three for 5 years. Although he was not a robust player being neither tall nor solidly built, he was a smooth clever footballer who could get goals and successfully held down the full forward position. He led the club’s goal kicking in his first 3 years, setting the then club record of 73 for a season in 1930, a tally that was bettered a few season’s later by club great Norm Smith. Margitich played 75 games for the club and kicked a total of 267 goals.

The jumper was rested in 1935 and was then awarded to former North Melbourne stalwart John Lewis who played his first game for Melbourne in 1936 at the age of 34 after a 150 game 142 goal career at Arden Street as well as stints at Hawthorn and Footscray. Lewis had been captain and coach at North and surprised the football world by taking on Melbourne’s offer to play at such a late stage in his career. Lewis was solid in his three seasons at the club, playing 46 games and kicking 18 goals.

Melbourne recruited William Baxter from Werribee in 1939 and the brother of three time Carlton premiership player Ken, managed 20 games in three years as wearer of the number three Guernsey. He was replaced by a former Bulldog Robert Spargo who wore the number twice in 1942. Ken Molloy wore the number in four senior games in 1943 but didn’t make a senior appearance in 1944 before changing numbers and then played a further 8 games in 1945. Full back Ron Irwin also played a game in the number in late 1943 season and added a further 50 games as number three through to 1947.

The number three been bypassed by Melbourne's triple premiership glory of 1939-41 but was worn in two grand finals in 1948 by its next owner Geoff Collins. The son of 1926 premiership wingman Jack Collins, Geoff was a tough courageous half-back who arrived from Yallourn as a 21 year old. He played on the half back flank in the drawn grand final against Essendon and then emulated his father’s achievement and became a premiership player for the club when the Demons won the replay. He won state selection in 1952 but missed the 1953 season serving as a pilot in the Korean War during which time he was cited for bravery. He was made captain when he returned for his final season in 1954 and wore the number eight in the team’s losing grand final of that year. The 178 cm 76 kg Collins played 88 games (8 goals) for the club.

Tasmanian Peter "Trunky" Marquis was given the number three jumper when Collins went to Korea and he wore it for 99 games from 1953 to 1958 (7) goals. Marquis was a strong, solidly built full back who ran at the ball in a straight line, played in the 1955, 1956 and 1957 premiership teams and retired from league football after the club’s 1958 grand final defeat at the hands of Collingwood. He represented Victoria in 1957 but found himself starting on Melbourne’s bench for the following game due to the good form shown by his replacement in his absence.

Then followed some lean years for the number three at Melbourne. None of the three players assigned to the number in the five years after Marquis' departure played a senior game while Maurie Bartlett, a strongly built ruckman/forward from Bentleigh managed only seven games and six goals as its wearer between 1964 and 1966, Young Sid Catlin from the club’s fourths had a meteoric rise to senior football and wore the jumper three times in 1966 and once more in 1968 before crossing to South Melbourne.

Melbourne recruited Trevor Rollinson from country zone club Shepparton in 1969. The180 cm 74 kg wingman wore the jumper for a total of 49 games (1 goal) and his replacement number three was another player recruited from Shepparton in rover Barry Tippett who wore it in 18 senior games during the years 1976-78.

Former Collingwood rover Henry Coles had crossed over to Melbourne in 1975 and wore numbers 45 and 13 before settling on the number three between 1978 and 1980. In 1978 he won the club’s goal kicking and he played 32 games for 50 goals in the jumper for a total of 77 games and 106 goals with the club.

Since Coles relinquished the number three jumper it has been worn by only three players over a period spanning almost three decades and strangely two of them now have very public careers outside of football while the current holder seeks to have one in the future.

Gerard Healy came to the club in 1979 from Edithvale-Aspendale as a 17 year old and played 130 games (189 goals) in seven seasons at the club before Dr. Geoffrey Edelstein lured him across to Sydney where he won the Brownlow Medal in 1988. The 184 cm 81 kg Healy was a composed, balanced and skilful footballer who was equally capable as a midfielder or a forward. He led the club goal kicking in 1982 with 77, made the Victorian State team in 1982, 1984 and 1985 and won the Club’s Best and Fairest in 1984. He is now carving out a career as a high profile TV and radio commentator. Had he stayed at the club, Healy would surely have become a team leader and a valuable member of the finals sides of the late 190’s and early 1990’s. As it was, his brother Greg gained captaincy honours immediately before the next wearer of the number three Guernsey - Gary Lyon.

After Lyon's retirement, the number three was put into mothballs for a couple of years until it was claimed by its current holder and a Hollywood acting aspirant in Clint Bizzell. The talented Queenslander from Kedron Grange was recruited by Geelong in the 1995 National Draft, and he crossed over from the Cats after 75 games and 72 goals. The 187 cm 90 kg Bizzell has found his niche in defence with the Demons but his career was hampered by a broken bone his foot which kept him out of AFL contention for all of 2006. In the latter stages of his career, Bizzell is only now coming back to his best. At the Demons, he has played 81 games (7 goals) as the latest in the long and proud tradition of Melbourne Football Club number three jumper holders.

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

Seeing that nobody's willing to give it a crack Andy, here's my effort:-

After Lyon's retirement, the number three was put into mothballs for a couple of years until it was claimed by its current holder and a Hollywood acting aspirant in Clint Bizzell. The talented Queenslander from Kedron Grange was recruited by Geelong in the 1995 National Draft, and he crossed over from the Cats after 75 games and 72 goals. The 187 cm 90 kg Bizzell has found his niche in defence with the Demons but his career was hampered by a broken bone his foot which kept him out of AFL contention for all of 2006 and limited him to 10 games in 2007 before retiring at the end of that season with a total of 88 games* at the club.

With Bizzell gone, the Demons were left with a dilemma in terms of the next recipient of the number three jumper. After recruiting Chris Judd, Jonathan Brown and Jimmy Bartel in the trade period at the end of the season they discovered that all three players wanted to wear the same jumper number so it was raffled off to the highest bidder. Judd won a spirited auction with a knockout bid that pushed the club's finances into surplus for the first time in ten years. Bartel was given number 33 as a consolation while Brown settled for 44 and became the club's first Brownlow Medallist to wear that number.

[* could somebody help out with his goal tally please?]