Robert Barnes (4 February 1896 – 27 September 1967) 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 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). Born in Mount Barker in regional

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 ...

, Barnes played his early football for West Broken Hill Football Club in the Barrier Ranges Football Association in far west

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, winning the Kenwrick Medal for Best and Fairest player in the competition. A rover, he was recruited by West Adelaide of the 1921 season and represented the South Australian interstate team that year for the first of eight times. In a 1921 match against

North Adelaide Football Club North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect Oval, ...

, Barnes kicked a goal from seventy metres out after the final siren to draw the match. West Adelaide supporters carried Barnes shoulder high from the ground. In 1922 Barnes 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 ...

for the Best and Fairest player in the league and played in West Adelaide's losing Grand Final team. West had finished the minor round in 4th place with a 7-7 record. They defeated West Torrens in the 2nd Semi-final but were defeated 9.7 (61) to 2.16 (28) by Norwood in the Grand Final at the

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

. Barnes topped West Adelaide's goal kicking with 17 in 1924. Robert Barnes finished with 59 games and 67 goals for West Adelaide. In 1927, Barnes was appointed as captain / coach of the

Albury Football Club The Albury Football Club, nicknamed the ''Tigers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Albury, a major regional city in New South Wales. Albury football and netball squads compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League. C ...

in the

Ovens and Murray Football League The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Austral ...

References

Sources

* Atkinson, G. (1982) ''Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking'', The Five Mile Press: Melbourne. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Robert 1896 births 1967 deaths West Adelaide Football Club players West Broken Hill Football Club players Magarey Medal winners Australian rules footballers from South Australia