Henry Elms
1882-1895
215 games
4 goals
Captain 1885-1894
Premiership Player 1885, 1888, 1889, 1890

Known as 'Sonny', Elms was one of the game's first champion players. He is also among the great early leaders, once described as 'the Napoleon of football commanders'.

Elms captained South Melbourne for 10 seasons, in a time when captaincy meant being assigned the various roles now designated to coaches. According to The Leader, "No better-organised teams ever entered a field than South Melbourne. 'Sonny' Elms, always playing back, in command of the team, invariably had his men under perfect control."

Such was his authority, J.W. described him, in The Australasian, as "A real Cromwell on the football field, and was a leader who commanded respect and obedience. Under his leadership, the game was brought to a high pitch of perfection."

Elms began his career at a local club, Emerald Hill Juniors Rising Sun, and joined a South team in 1882 that had claimed the club's first premiership the previous year. His VFA career began at a time when the game's appeal had spread throughout Melbourne. In The Footballer, 'Follower' wrote, "There is certainly a fascination belonging to the game which causes many a heart—manly and womanly—to throb more wildly while watching the strife, then do even those of the players themselves."

The South Melbourne Football Club was also on the rise. The town's population boomed, with many locals now attending footy games. Clubs relied heavily on gate takings to finance their operations, and as one of the most-followed teams, South became one of the wealthiest clubs in the VFA.

During the earliest part of his career, Elms played some games as a forward. But, after a short time, his attributes were utilised in defence. He was a man of immense strength, standing at 178cm and weighing 76kg—an ideal size for the game then.

At the end of Elms' first season in 1882, a raft of retirements left South in a re-building phase. Two former captains, George Major and Jim Gibson, departed along with former vice-captain Matt Minchin. All were part of the club's 1881 premiership team, and their absence meant a void in experience and maturity needed filling.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. In 1883, Elms was named one of the competition's nine best players and the 'best back'. In 1884, he was again named as one of the premier defenders in the game.

Swans Hall of Famers Elms, Jimmy Young, and Tom Bushell helped form the core of a team that would go on to achieve great success. Then, the team took on an entirely new complexion when Bloods Legend Peter 'The Great' Burns joined in 1885. That was also the first year Elms took charge.

According to author Mark Pennings, South implemented a regular training schedule that enhanced their ability to match the physical prowess of Geelong, who were the powerhouse team of the VFA. The club also created an 'accident fund' to cover treatment costs for injured players, which became an irresistible incentive for potential recruits.

The innovations worked, as the young South Melbourne team claimed the 1885 premiership with an undefeated season of 22 wins and three draws. The Australasian declared, "The splendid discipline of the team and the careful attention to individual condition have been prime factors in its success, as every man throughout the season has gone into the field prepared to play the game and has played it: and we have had no mention of weak or indifferent men throughout the campaign."

The Sportsman said, "South Melbourne had earned a record that stamps them as one of, if not the best team that we have yet had in Victoria."

As captain, Elms had now built a fearsome reputation. As a key defender, his motto of 'never surrender' manifested in his robust play. South Melbourne again played exceptional football in 1886, finishing runners-up to the powerful Geelong team.

But, as Pennings explains, "South Melbourne was moving on to bigger and better things. The football and cricket clubs spent £4,000 improving the South Melbourne Cricket Ground, which now had a new Member's pavilion and stand with bars, lounges, a smoking room, as well as a 'retiring' room for ladies."

Although South finished third in 1887, they now had three of the nineteenth century's finest footballers in Elms, Burns and Denis' Dinny' McKay, and the Southerners were about to embark on an incredible journey together.

Ahead of the 1888 season, Elms was joined in defence by Dick 'Chopper' Doran from Port Melbourne, whose nickname referred to his habit of chopping the arms of oncoming forwards attempting to dispossess him of the ball. Pennings described Doran as "The perfect complement to 'Sonny' Elms, who was exemplary as a tough and uncompromising full-back."

They were a powerful combination. All across the ground, the Southerners possessed a devastating mix of speed, strength and size. Their training methods were ahead of their time, and with the determination and ruthlessness of Elms leading the way, they swept aside all comers.

Elms' team claimed South's third premiership in 1888 and, a year later, its fourth. After completing the successive flag triumph, The Age said South's success was owed "in no small measure to the skill, judgment and experience of their captain Elms, who has almost invariably shown sound generalship."

The following year, South Melbourne completed their hat-trick of premierships while also travelling to Adelaide, defeating Norwood to claim the championship of Australia. Elms was in his playing prime, selected to captain Victoria in their intercolonial match against South Australia.

Under Elms' tutelage, the Southerners were the benchmark of Australian football. Pennings says, "Its constellation of talented footballers that combined strength, power, skill and unrivalled team play left most rivals in their wake. This brilliant side had it all."

While the team began to slide after their 1890 triumph, Elms continued to impress, becoming the first top-level Victorian footballer to play 200 games. After retiring in 1895, he continued his outstanding service to the club as a committeeman from 1885-1922, and for 12 years, he was the club's delegate to the league.

When the war decimated the club's playing stocks, Elms assisted fellow Swans Hall of Famer Herb Howson in scouring the district to assemble a team. Incredibly, they coached that group of local lads to the most unlikely premiership in 1918.

In 1923, after his 40-year involvement with the South Melbourne Football Club, Elms stepped away due to ill health. As his condition deteriorated, Howson arranged a meeting of past South Melbourne Football and Cricket Club players to devise a scheme to help the four-time premiership captain.

They arranged a testimonial fund and raised more than £500 to assist Elms and his family. When he passed away in 1928, aged 66, a huge congregation gathered to bid farewell. The Australasian reported, "There was a wonderful gathering of old footballers present, men who played in Elms' time, practically every club being represented. It was pleasing to see so many old South Melbourne players around the grave, testimony to the esteem in which the old captain was held by his old comrades."