Syd McGain
| Syd McGain | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Sydney John McGain[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1917 | ||
| Place of birth | Carlton, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 23 November 2008 (aged 91) | ||
| Original team(s) | Mathoura | ||
| Height / weight | 174 cm / 73 kg | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1938 1940–1943 1943–1945 Total |
Essendon Fitzroy North Melbourne |
1 (1) 12 (0) 12 (0) 25 (1) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1945. | |||
Sydney John "Syd" McGain (5 February 1917 – 23 November 2008) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon, Fitzroy and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2][3]
McGain was born in Carlton but played his early football for New South Wales club Mathoura, after moving to the state to become a horse-breaker.[4] A wingman, McGain played for Pascoe Vale when he returned to Melbourne, then joined Essendon and made one appearances for the club in the 1938 VFL season.[4][5] Due to a pay dispute, McGain would left Essendon for Fitzroy.[6] McGain played eight league games for Fitzroy in 1940, but added just four more games over the next three years.[5] He was convinced to cross to North Melbourne during the 1943 season, after their captain Dally O'Brien offered to send a car to take him to training from his army base in Maribyrnong.[4] At North Melbourne he played 12 senior games, six each in 1943 and 1945.[5] From 1947 to 1949, McGain was a member of the VFL Umpires Association and officiated in various leagues across the state.[4] Also a professional runner, he won the 1947 Maryborough Gift and reached the semi-finals of the Stawell Gift in 1948.[4] He was one of the founders of the Strathmore Football Club in the 1950s and acted as their first ever coach.[4] The Syd McGain Oval in Strathmore is named in his honour, renamed from Lebanon Park in 1997.[4]
References
- ↑ "WW2 Nominal Roll". Government of Australia.
- ↑ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
- ↑ "McGain, Syd". Essendon Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Syd McGain". AFL Umpires Association.
- 1 2 3 AFL Tables: Syd McGain
- ↑ The Age,"Dons patch up and old rift", 9 October 2006, Martin Blake