George Sidney "Mallee" Johnson (31 May 1879 – 5 September 1948) 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
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition.
Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...
in the
VFL between 1905 and 1909.
Career
Commencing at
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
in the
VFA in 1901, 'Mallee' Johnson became "''a folk hero to the club ... the first of the super-heroes''".
By 1902 he was the dominant big man in the competition and an integral part of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
winning their first premiership.
He left
Punt Road
Hoddle Highway is an urban highway in Melbourne linking CityLink and the Eastern Freeway, itself a sub-section of Hoddle Main Road. Both these names are not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by the n ...
for the
VFL prior to the 1905 season and in his five seasons at
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
the team played in the finals every year, winning the premiership in 1906, 1907 and 1908. Johnson represented the VFL at the
1908 Melbourne Carnival
The 1908 Melbourne Carnival was the inaugural Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition, held in Melbourne in August 1908. It was known at the time as the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival b ...
.
When legendary
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
coach
Jack Worrall
John Worrall (20 June 1861 – 17 November 1937) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club in the VFA, and a Test cricketer. He was also a prominent coach in both sports and a journalist.
A small, nugge ...
was pressured into resigning in 1909, Johnson was one of the players who chose to leave the club at the end of the season. He went back to the
VFA and played in
North Melbourne's 1910 premiership side and later with
Melbourne City, where he was the inaugural captain, and
Prahran
Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City ...
.
Notes
References
*Holmesby, R. and Main, J. ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers'' – Sixth Edition, BAS Publishing, Melbourne 2005
External links
George S Johnsona
Blueseum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, George S.
1879 births
Carlton Football Club players
Carlton Football Club Premiership players
North Melbourne Football Club (VFA) players
Richmond Football Club (VFA) players
Prahran Football Club players
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)
1948 deaths
Three-time VFL/AFL Premiership players