Robert Snell (born 15 February 1903 in
Collie
Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...
,
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
– died April 1983 in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
) was an
Australian rules
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 ...
footballer who played for
East Perth
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from ...
in the
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...
(WAFL),
West Adelaide 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) and
New Town
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
in the
Tasmanian National Football League (TANFL) between 1923 and 1933.
Career
Snell started his career in 1923 with East Perth and the following season finished second in the
Sandover Medal
The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League. The award was donated by Alfred Sandover M.B.E., a prominent Perth hardware merchant and be ...
. He sought a clearance to join West Adelaide for the 1925 season but after East Perth refused he had to wait until 1927, playing amateur and junior competitions in the meantime.
A centreman, Snell was a member of a West Adelaide premiership side in his debut SANFL season in 1927. In 1929 he won the
Magarey Medal
The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...
, being the last medallist known to the man who donated the award,
William Ashley Magarey
William Ashley Magarey (30 January 1868 – 18 October 1929) was a lawyer, sportsman and sports administrator. He was the first chairman of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) (later named South Australian National Football League ...
, as Magarey passed shortly after the 1929 SANFL season.
Snell then moved to
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
in 1931 to play for
New Town
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
in the TANFL. In the height of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
Snell could earn up to
A£
The pound (Sign: £, £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. As with other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (denoted by the symbol s ...
10 per game and the same in wages playing in the Apple Isle. He returned to West Adelaide in 1932 and stayed with the club until his retirement from playing in 1933 having played 84 games and kicking 16 goals for Wests.
Snell represented
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
13 times in
Interstate football between 1927 and 1929.
Post career
Having retired from football after 1933, his life post football was spent as a licensed bookmaker. Due to race meetings being held on Saturdays, Snell saw very little league football for many years. He retired from bookmaking in 1973 and spent his time playing lawn bowls twice a week at the
Adelaide Bowling Club
Adelaide Bowling Club was founded in 1897 and is the oldest bowling club in South Australia.
The club was founded as the result of a public meeting called by Henry F. Dench and chaired by J. H. Finlayson.
The Governor, Sir T. Fowell Buxton acc ...
.
Bob Snell died in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in April 1983 having recently turned 80. West Adelaide won their 8th and so far last SANFL Premiership in the same year.
References
WAFC Magarey Medallists - Robert Snell 1929
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snell, Robert
1983 deaths
East Perth Football Club players
West Adelaide Football Club players
Magarey Medal winners
1903 births
Australian rules footballers from Western Australia
People from Collie, Western Australia
Date of death missing