Robert Osborne Shearman (14 September 1939 – 27 June 1999) was an
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er who played for the
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL) and for the
West Torrens Football Club
West Torrens Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 1897 to 1990. In 1991, the club merged with neighbouring Woodville Football Club to form the Woodville ...
and
Sturt Football Club
The Sturt Football Club, nicknamed The Double Blues, is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in the suburb of Unley, South Australia, which plays in the South Australian National Football League.
Founded in 1901 by the Stur ...
in the
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as the ...
(SANFL).
Born in Melbourne, Shearman was recruited from
Aberfeldie
Aberfeldie is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Aberfeldie recorded a population of 3,925 at the .
Aberfeldie is bo ...
in the Essendon District League, and made his debut at 16 years of age. He became renowned as a strong half-back flanker who could take high marks, kick prodigious drop kicks, and was good at ground level. He played in the
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
and
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
Grand Final losses to .
In 1961 at the age of 21, Shearman moved to South Australia and joined West Torrens. He represented South Australia at the 1961 carnival, winning All Australian selection and captained West Torrens in 1963 and 1964. In 1965 he stood out of football for the season awaiting a clearance to Sturt. Joining Sturt in 1966, he was a key part of that club's "Golden Era", playing in consecutive premierships from 1966 to 1970. Shearman was subsequently named a member of Sturt's "Team of the century".
Shearman was a prodigious kicker of the ball and twice won the ''Craven Filter'' national champion kick of Australia.
Shearman died suddenly on 27 June 1999.
Since 2000, Sturt and
Woodville West Torrens have competed for the RO Shearman Testimonial Trophy.
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearman, Bob
Essendon Football Club players
West Torrens Football Club players
Sturt Football Club players
Aberfeldie Football Club players
All-Australians (1953–1988)
Australian rules footballers from Melbourne
South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees
1939 births
1999 deaths