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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 31 August 1912, Mitcham |
| Recruited from | Mitcham |
| Height and weight | 180cm / 76 kg |
| Death | 6 January 2001, |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | 1930, South Melbourne vs. Melbourne, at Lake Oval |
| Team(s) | South Melbourne (1930-39, 1946)
Coburg Football Club (VFA) |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 1946 season | |
| Career highlights | |
For the League
For South Melbourne
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Harold Robert "Bob" Pratt (31 August 1912 — 6 January 2001) was a former Australian rules footballer from Mitcham, Victoria.
Pratt played with South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1930-1939 and again in 1946. Considered "arguably the best full-forward in the history of Australian rules,[1] he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame with Legend status in 1996.
Known for spectacular diving and high flying marks, he topped the club's goalkicking for the first time in 1932 with 71 goals and for the next three seasons passed 100 goals. His total of 150 goals in 1934 was a VFL/AFL record haul and is now shared with Peter Hudson who equaled it in 1971. The tally included 15 goals in a single game, one of eight times that he would kick 10 goals in a game.
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Pratt's VFL career began in Round One 1930 when he debuted for South Melbourne as a seventeen year-old against Melbourne at South Melbourne's home ground, Lake Oval. Pratt kicked four goals and finished the season having played all 18 Home and Away games and kicking 43 goals, with his best return five goals in Round 10 against Fitzroy.
Pratt topped South Melbourne's goalkicking for the first time in 1932 with 71 goals.
He was a member of South's 1933 premiership side, kicking three goals in the grand final.
Pratt had his best Brownlow Medal result in 1934, polling 14 votes to finish eighth, six votes behind winner, Essendon's Dick Reynolds.[2] In a match against Carlton, Pratt kicked eight goals in the third quarter, which is one of the highest in a quarter by an individual in the VFL. Pratt also kicked seven goals in a quarter against Footscray Football Club in 1934.
His total of 150 goals in 1934 was a VFL/AFL record haul and is now shared with Peter Hudson who equaled it in 1971. The tally included 15 goals in a single game, one of eight times that he would kick 10 goals in a game.
In addition to his 150 goals, Pratt kicked 94 points, a record for the most number of behinds kicked in a season (Pratt is also second on the second on this list, having kicked 93 points in 1933).[3]
For all of this, Pratt did not win South Melbourne's Best and Fairest Award (won by Terry Brain). When Pratt asked a committee member why, he was given the response "You're very spectacular but not very effective."[4] He did however receive the equivalent of $AUD100 from South Melbourne in recognition of his feat.[4]
Pratt missed the 1935 VFL Grand Final through injury. On Grand Final eve he was clipped by a truck carrying five tonnes of bricks moments after he stepped off a tram.[5] The truck driver offered Pratt a packet of cigarettes as a way of apology.[6]
Injuries (including a split nerve that had been undiagnosed)[7] restricted him to a total of 13 games for the 1937 and 1938 seasons (leading him to consider retirement on a number of occasions)[8] and at the end of 1939 he left the club.
Annoyed at what he considered unfair treatment by club management towards him compared to interstate recruits, Pratt sought on numerous occasions to leave South Melbourne. He sought a clearance in June 1936, stating that he was unemployed and believed another club could find him employment.[9] He then walked out on South Melbourne after round eight, 1937,[10] believing club officials considered him part of the furniture and did not see it necessary to offer him the same benefits (such as travel, accommodation and employment) as his interstate team mates like Laurie Nash.[11]
In 1938, Pratt announced he was considering a transfer to VFA club Preston, who was offering him £6.[8] He advised South Melbourne that, If they will continue to pay him the usual rate of £3 a week and take the risk of his breaking down, he will not consider any offer. If, on the other hand, South Melbourne is reluctant, he announced that he will transfer to Preston and take the risk of his leg keeping him out of the game.[8]
In 1940 Pratt sought a clearance to fellow VFL side Carlton but when told that he would have to stand out of football for three years to do so, he instead signed with Coburg Football Club in the VFA[12] (although fellow VFA side Port Melbourne offered Pratt substantially more)[13]
Also transferring to the VFA for the 1940 season was Collingwood full-forward Ron Todd, who moved to Williamstown.[14][15] With former South Melbourne team mate Laurie Nash at VFA club Camberwell (still considered amongst the best footballers in the country),[16] there was talk that the VFA, traditionally the lesser of the two leagues, would now match the VFL for crowds.[16]
In that time he continued his incredible goal scoring record, booting 183 during 1941, including 22 goals in a game against Sandringham. In all, Pratt played 40 games for Coburg, kicking 263 goals.[17]
On 26 February 1942 Pratt enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), serving as a Corporal in the 7 Medical Receiving Station.[18]
While in service, Pratt had the opportunity to play football, representing the Stores team in the RAAF competition. Playing at full-forward, Pratt helped Stores to the 1942 RAAF premiership, kicking three goals in the grand final against "Rookies".[19]
Pratt was discharged on 14 November 1945.[18]
He attempted a comeback with South Melbourne in 1946; in his return match he kicked two goals before receiving a career ending leg injury.[4] Interviewed at the time, Pratt said "I'm playing only for the money" but when his wife Olive interrupted and said that he would still play for nothing, Pratt replied "Well, she might be right, too."[4]
Asked late in life why he never coached, Pratt replied "It was no trouble to me to do things that the ordinary bloke couldn't do, but if he didn't do it, I couldn't understand why."[20]
Pratt married Olive Sandstrom on 24 August 1935 at All Saints Church of England in St Kilda, after playing against Geelong earlier that day.[21] His team mate James Reid was best man. Over a thousand people attended thee wedding, with over 400 people outside, jostling to see the couple. Two constables were required to keep the crowd away from the church doors[22] and pickpockets took advantage of the crush of people to steal from the crowd.[23]
Pratt had a son, Bob Pratt Jr., who also played for South Melbourne but following a string of injuries,[24] retired following increased business pressures.[25]
Pratt worked at various times for the Melbourne Star newspaper as an inspector of news agencies[22] and as a sales representative for soft drink companies,[26] as well as writing a football column for The Argus newspaper.[27]
Pratt also raced greyhounds.[28] and played competitive lawn bowls.[26]
Pratt was averse to weights training, believing that it took away from the athleticism required to play football. Instead, he trained with professional sprinters, which he believed helped him as it built his initial acceleration (essential to any footballer) and aided his kicking accuracy.[7]
At the time of his death in 2001 he was the last living member of the Swans 1933 Grand Final team. He was named beside Tony Lockett in the forward pocket in their official 'Team of the Century'.[29]
Along with Bob Skilton and Paul Kelly, Pratt was named an official "Swans Legend" in 2009.[30]
Sydney named their Leading Goal kicker Award the "Bob Pratt Trophy",[31]
His tally of 37 goals in finals football was a club record until 2008.
In 2009 The Australian nominated Pratt as one of the 25 greatest footballers never to win a Brownlow medal.[32]
In 2000 Pratt was named at Full-forward in Coburg's Team of the Century.[17]
Laurie Nash once wrote of Pratt; "He was the greatest high mark I have ever seen. How he didn't kill himself in some of his marking efforts I will never know."[2]
Jack Dyer wrote that it would be difficult to convey Pratt's greatness to future generations of football fans who had not been privileged to see him in action.[33]
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