Jack Graham
1935-1949
227 games
233 goals
Captain 1946-1948
Best and Fairest 1945
Champion of The Colony 1945
Leading Goalkicker 1941, 1948
Born in the Mallee during World War I, Jack Graham was raised in Yaapeet, where his dad, Alex, owned a local business. By the time he turned 16, Graham – 6 feet tall – debuted for Sea Lake in the Pier Millan League. A local publican had connections at St Kilda and told the young star they'd like him to train with them.
Graham felt he needed more time to develop into a VFL footballer and joined Red Cliffs in the strong Mildura District Football League instead. Impressing in his two seasons there, including a premiership in 1934, he received offers from Collingwood and North Melbourne. However, when he packed his bags for Melbourne in 1935, it was former Magpies star and Stawell Gift winner Bill Twomey – coach of South Melbourne's seconds – whom he connected with.
South were in the midst of an auspicious recruitment drive, with players arriving from all over Australia. They'd won a premiership in 1933 and lost the 1934 Grand Final to Richmond. Twomey told Graham, "Don't sign up with any club for a few weeks; if you don't feel happy with South, I will take you over to Collingwood."
Thankfully, he liked his lakeside introduction. The club had ambition; the team filled with talent and desire. Graham, at 19, debuted against Carlton at Princes Park, replacing the injured champion full-forward, Bob Pratt. He played two further games that season and watched on as the Bloods lost the 1935 Grand Final to the team he almost joined, Collingwood.
According to Mark Branagan and Mike Lefebvre in Bloodstained Angels: The Rise and Fall of the Foreign Legion, South Melbourne's 1936 pre-season "was remarkable for its lack of spark and spirit". Tensions surfaced within the team, and the re-appointment of coach Jack Bisset, proved unpopular with some.
Along with a handful of others, Graham's consistent inclusion gave South the youthful enthusiasm they needed. Early in the season, the powerful youngster’s deployment at centre half-back, enabled the return of Bloods champion Laurie Nash to the forward line.
The move helped South claim the minor premiership, and, eventually, into their fourth consecutive Grand Final. After a shaky first half of the ‘36 decider, Graham and his fellow defenders regained ascendancy through their vital aerial work, leading a stirring fightback. With the game in the balance, Bisset moved Graham into the ruck with tremendous effect. Ultimately, though, Collingwood rallied to claim the flag by 11 points.
While the loss signified the end of the 'Foreign Legion' era, Graham's star was on the rise. Bill Twomey had told him that if he stayed with South, he'd be playing state football within a couple of years. And, in 1937, he did. Graham joined South teammate Herbie Matthews in the Victorian team that won the national carnival in Perth.
Interestingly, in February 1938, South Australian club West Torrens announced it had signed Graham as captain-coach for the next three years. South administrators were swift and forceful in their response, declaring their 21-year-old ruckman was going nowhere.
His sterling form continued, and in June, Graham was named The Sporting Globe's player of the week despite South's loss to Hawthorn. Journalist Hec de Lacy said, "Jack Graham, the tall South Melbourne follower, has been one of the outstanding ruckmen of the season."
"In the first half, he was unbeatable either in the air or in pace and judgment. Hawthorn had no counter to this strong, versatile and scrupulously fair player. At the close, Graham had run himself to a standstill despite his splendid physical condition."
In the pre-war years, South began sliding down the ladder, finishing 12th in 1938 and 1939. Melbourne's football public embraced Graham, though, and when he won the longest kick competition at the Royal Show, he received £10 and a roar of approval from the vast crowd. That same year, readers of The Argus voted Graham the VFL's "most popular player".
One of the finest and final exponents of the place-kick, Graham, when in goalkicking range, gouged a divot with his right heel, before placing the ball down, lining up the goals as they do in the rugby codes. His technique proved successful more often than not, and in 1941, he claimed South Melbourne's leading goalkicker award with 33 majors – a feat he later replicated in 1948.
After five years of mediocrity, South returned to the finals in 1942, eventually succumbing to eventual premier Essendon in the preliminary final. Now vice-captain, Graham performed superbly, with skill and courage in equal measure. The Record named him South's player of the year, despite fellow Swans Hall of Famer Jim Cleary winning the club's best and fairest.
South Melbourne's next finals appearance came in 1945. Playing with a maturity fuelled by his temporary captaincy role the previous year, Graham collected a pair of prestigious individual awards. He claimed South's best and fairest, with The Record proclaiming, "There is not a more outstanding exponent of the game today than 'Big Jack'." He also won the 'Champion of the Colony' – an annual award voted initially by club captains and later by Melbourne's leading football journalists.
Unfortunately for Graham, the League suspended Brownlow Medal voting due to World War II – a conflict he attempted to enlist in but was denied due to his reserved occupation as a fireman. His imperious form contributed to South playing in the 1945 Grand Final against Carlton. The match is known simply as The Bloodbath and is regarded as the most violent in the game's history.
Graham's standing made him a central figure, and Carlton employed a youthful rotation of players to quell his influence. Despite the attention, Graham was among South's best in the disappointing 28-point loss. Sadly, it would be South Melbourne's final appearance on football's biggest stage.
Ahead of the 1946 season, the South Melbourne committee unanimously appointed Graham as Swans captain. Although the team couldn't recapture the previous year's form, it was a season of great significance for Graham, as the club also bestowed him the honour of life membership. The following year, after playing his 200th VFL match, he received a cheque, silver cake stand, and tray.
Throughout his career, Graham represented his state with distinction. In 1947, he was named vice-captain of the national champion Victorian team. Graham captained the Big Vee the following season in matches against South Australia and Western Australia. A tireless contributor, he played for Victoria 15 times.
Sadly, Graham, overlooked for the Swans captaincy in 1949, played just four games before accepting the captain-coach role at Minyip in the Wimmera District Football League. After his final match, The Argus reported, "Players of South Melbourne and Richmond lined up and cheered him. Later, Mr J. Cullen, South president, handed him a wallet of notes, and the players gave him a smoker's stand. Graham established a new club record of 227 games."
Graham passed away in 1984, aged 68, on the Gold Coast, where he retired with his wife Audrey. Renowned Swans historian Jim Main described his wholeheartedness, "Graham's shins would bleed through most games he played but, rather than shirk from ruck duties, he returned to the rooms after every match, would take off his blood-soaked socks and then rinse them in a bucket."
"His severe injuries never stopped him giving the Swans anything less than absolute commitment. Graham was one of the best ruckmen of his era."
