Arthur Hiskins
1908-1915, 1919-1923
185 games
56 goals
Premiership Player 1909
Player-Coach 1920

During the gold rush era, the Rutherglen Football Club earned a reputation as one of the finest teams in Victoria. Such was their prowess many VFL clubs travelled to challenge the country powerhouse, only to leave defeated.

Thousands of hopeful prospectors moved to the town at the peak of the gold-mining boom of the late 1800s. The town became a bustling rural centre, with the wealth-seekers welcomed by the numerous shops and pubs that emerged during that time.

This period of prosperity coincided with the early life of Arthur Hiskins, who was raised in a family of nine boys and five girls in nearby Lake Moodemere. A mate of their dad's was a bootmaker and fashioned a football out of leather, kept in shape by an inflated pig's bladder. The family name soon became synonymous with football – all nine boys played either in the VFL or the local Ovens and Murray League.

In 1907, South Melbourne, on return from a mid-season trip to Sydney, broke their journey with a Rutherglen stopover. A match was arranged, and news of the visit spread through the area like the guttural, triumphant cries of Eureka!

Not only did metropolitan clubs challenge the locals for the pride of victory, but these visits often resulted in recruitment. Hiskins' eldest brother Fred had already starred for Essendon as part of the 1901 premiership team, and the Southerners may well have already identified Arthur as a potential signing.

Nicknamed 'Poddy' by his siblings, as his running gait reminded them of one of the family's dairy farm calves, Hiskins performed well in the match against South. In its report, The Rutherglen Sun described him as 'putting in good work'. According to the Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, after the game, the two teams 'attended a social in the Town Hall, which was well patronised.'

The festive nature of the visit also led to Hiskins becoming a South Melbourne player for the 1908 season. With a strong foundation already set, his game was well prepared for the rigours of League football. He played 16 games in his debut season, kicking 15 goals and impressing in his versatility.

At the time, speed was considered more important than height, with six-footers regarded as oversized, making them a rare commodity. Hiskins quickly established himself as a consistent contributor for the Red and Whites. A strong overhead mark with abundant speed, he became known for his clearing dashes from half-back.

In 1909, the Southerners emerged as a premiership contender. They finished on top of the ladder with 14 wins and four losses before defeating Collingwood in a highly anticipated semi-final.

Under the finals system of the time, they played Carlton in the final. The Blues won a violent match by 21 points, but South had the right to challenge for a Grand Final as the minor premier, which they unsurprisingly did.

Carlton had won the previous three premierships and presented as a bigger, stronger team. Upon dissecting the previous week's loss, South's captain-coach, Charlie Ricketts, designed a game plan that involved keeping the ball moving and kicking to open space.

It worked. Hiskins starred across half-back, and with South clinging to a two-point lead, he dominated the final 10 minutes with his superb intercept play. At the siren, delirious supporters stormed the MCG to celebrate the club's first flag of the VFL era. Hiskins and his teammates were hoisted on their shoulders, and reporter, ‘Markwell’ described “scenes never before witnessed at the finish of a football match in Melbourne”.

The Grand Final win was the club's first since the 1890 VFA flag, and as such, the South Melbourne committee presented Hiskins and his teammates with specially minted, engraved gold premiership medallions.

Across subsequent seasons, Hiskins became known as one of the game's finest and most robust players. However, at times, his uncompromising approach earned the wrath of League officials, causing him to miss 21 matches through suspension.

South Melbourne reached the VFL finals six years in a row from 1909 to 1914, which, at the time, proved its most consistent run as a League club. In 1913, Hiskins' younger brother Stan joined him at the club, with the pair enjoying their time together.

It's believed that Stan Hiskins became the first South Melbourne player to enlist for World War I service, and Arthur soon followed. The 1914 season was played under a heavy cloud of uncertainty, with the 1915 season beginning on April 24, the day before the Gallipoli landing. The world was about to change forever.

After joining the army, Arthur was initially mustered as a gunner. He served with distinction in England before being appointed a driver in France in 1917. While stationed there, he began writing correspondence published back in Australia.

One such letter was published in the weekly sports newspaper, The Winner. Even on the battlefields, Hiskins' thoughts drifted to football and his beloved South. However, he expressed concern after the Southerners lost the 1917 semi-final to Collingwood. "I was wondering how they got beaten so easily in the semi-final after they had played so well through the season, but that is all in the luck of the game."

In the same letter, Hiskins told of his regular catch-ups with former South teammate Claude Thomas, who played 13 games across the 1914 and 1915 seasons. Sadly, his friend died during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.

Hiskins' Letters from the Front were often published in The Emerald Hill Record. He covered a range of topics, including a joyful recount of his eight-day leave in Paris, his sorrow at learning of a South Melbourne loss to St Kilda, and his insight into the life of a wartime soldier highly valued by the folk at home.

Fortunately, Hiskins arrived home in good health in 1919. Hotelier Harry Purdy threw Hiskins a welcome home party, which drew a sizeable crowd. Chair of the event, Mr. Lew Thompson, said that Hiskins "had gone forth and risked his life" and hoped that he would return to play for "Good Old South" again.

That's precisely what the champion backman did. Hiskins played 16 games in his return season, then became player-coach in 1920. He retired in 1923, aged 37, having played a remarkable 185 games after debuting at 23 and losing three seasons to war service.

Enamoured by the game, Hiskins stayed involved by joining the goal umpire ranks – a move that delighted supporters – and he enjoyed the colourful interactions with those on the other side of the fence.

Hiskins remained an avid football follower until he died in 1971, aged 85. He is remembered as one of a famous quartet of brothers alongside Fred, Stan and Rupert, who all made their mark on League football. Across his career, Hiskins played in six semi-finals, three preliminary finals and one Grand Final.