Jack Sweet
| Jack Sweet | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Jack Sweet | ||
| Born | 21 December 1919 | ||
| Died | 7 September 2006 (aged 86) | ||
| Original team | East Perth (WAFL) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 11 st 9 lb (74 kg) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1939–1941, 1946–1949 | East Perth | 103 (45) | |
| 1943 | South Melbourne | 6 (0) | |
| 1950–1951 | Subiaco | 41 (5) | |
| Coaching career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
| 1950–1952 | Subiaco | 62 (12–50–0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1943. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Jack Sweet (21 December 1919 – 7 September 2006) was an Australian rules footballer who played primarily with East Perth in the Western Australian National Football League either side of World War II.
Career
[edit]Sweet joined the Royals as a highly prized recruit from Harvey in the South West League in 1939.[1] He took a little time to establish himself in his debut season, but by August his class as a back pocket player had become undoubted.[2] His 1940 season was affected by niggling injuries,[3] and he continued to be so troubled during the 1941 season.[4]
Sweet moved to Melbourne on war duties during August 1941, and was signed by South Melbourne with the expectation of playing the last few games of that season,[5] despite having not played recently for East Perth due to broken ribs.[6] However, Sweet never played for the Swans until 1943, when he would take part in only six games mid-season.[7] Nevertheless, in 1945, when Sweet was stationed in northern Australia but hoping to return south to play some league football, South Melbourne secretary Joe Kelly would describe Sweet as the best footballer he had seen from the West.[8]
Sweet would return to the WANFL in 1946, after having been wounded in July 1945.[9] He would become captain of East Perth that year, but did not regain his postwar effectiveness until moved onto the ball mid-season,[10] and for a time onto the forward line during the following season.
Subiaco
[edit]For the 1950 season, Sweet switched clubs to become captain-coach of Subiaco, whose poor recruitment since the war ended had meant it had won just ten games out of fifty-six between 1947 and 1949.[11] Sweet, who retired as a player after the 1951 season but continued for another year with the Maroons as non-playing coach, was given a free rein to rebuild the club's list and introduced more than fifty new players to league ranks. Nevertheless, the almost complete failure of Subiaco's earlier recruits[note 1] alongside the retirement of former mainstays Bill Alderman, Frank Exell, "Bub" Howe and Fred Williams,[12] meant that Subiaco's fortunes did not improve. Under Sweet the Maroons would win only twelve games out of 62 and finish bottom, seventh and seventh in his three seasons.
Family
[edit]Sweet's brother Eric also played for South Melbourne.[13]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Of thirty Subiaco newcomers from those three seasons, only one – Cliff Brown – would play more than two seasons for the club at league level.
References
[edit]- ^ "Sporting Clubs' Activities – Notes and Comments on Players". South Western Times. Bunbury. 21 April 1939. p. 5.
- ^ "Royals Give Redlegs a Hiding". Mirror. Perth. 12 August 1939. p. 7.
- ^ Barras, Alex (19 September 1940). "Sporting Highlights: Football – Two Easts in Semi-Final". Western Mail. Perth. p. 13.
- ^ "Will East Perth Check Port Blues Double Run of Success?". Call and Bailey's Weekly. Perth. 10 July 1941. p. 11.
- ^ Taylor, Percy (15 August 1941). "League Teams Chosen – Positional Changes". The Argus. Melbourne. p. 8.
- ^ "Vital Matches at Perth and Leederville Should Draw Big Crowds". Call and Bailey's Weekly. Perth. 7 August 1941. p. 11.
- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim, eds. (2014). "Sweet, Jack". The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: Every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 863. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
- ^ "Jack Sweet "Best Footballer from the West"". Daily News. Perth. 18 June 1945. p. 13.
- ^ "Football Record-Holder Now Plays Bowls". The Daily News. Perth. 25 July 1945. p. 11.
- ^ "Will Old East's Supremacy Make 1946 Washout". Call. Perth. 20 June 1946. p. 3.
- ^ Spillman, Ken (2000). "Cellar Dweller". Diehards: The Story of the Subiaco Football Club 1946–2000. Subiaco Football Club. pp. 21–23. ISBN 0957818505.
- ^ Spillman (2000). Diehards: The Story of the Subiaco Football Club 1946–2000. p. 20.
- ^ Cullen, B. (2015). Harder than Football. Melbourne: Slattery Media Group. ISBN 9780992379148.
External links
[edit]- Jack Sweet's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Jack Sweet at AustralianFootball.com