Philip Skehan (21 June 1894 – 17 June 1921) 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 with

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

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). Skehan played as a follower and was recruited to South Melbourne from Middle Park. A butcher by profession, he was a member of the South Melbourne team which defeated Collingwood in the

1918 VFL Grand Final The 1918 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the South Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 7 September 1918. It was the 21st annual Gra ...

.AFL Tables: Phil Skehan
/ref> His last game for South Melbourne was a semi final in 1919 and he was then sacked by the club after a dispute with the committee. He hoped to continue playing football with Williamstown in the

Victorian Football Association 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 ...

and on Wednesday 8 June 1921 was given a permit to transfer from South Melbourne. The subsequent weekend, he made his debut for Williamstown in a fixture against Essendon Association and in the first half was involved in a collision with an opponent, with both of them going for the ball. The Essendon player was able to continue the game after being treated but Skehan suffered serious concussion and had a broken right leg below the knee. He would die in hospital six days later, due to

hypostatic pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of phlegm, productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, ...

and concussion of the brain.''The Argus''
"Death Of Footballer"
22 June 1921. p. 10 He is believed to be the first VFL footballer to have lost his life as a result of an on-field injury and his death came just over a month before a similar tragedy, when

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 ...

rover Lyle Downs died of a heart attack in the club's training rooms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skehan, Phil 1894 births 1921 deaths Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Players of Australian handball Sydney Swans players Sydney Swans Premiership players Williamstown Football Club players Sport deaths in Australia Accidental deaths in Victoria (Australia) One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players People from South Melbourne Sports competitors who died in competition