Des Martin
South Melbourne and Richmond
AFL career
15 games11 goals
- Debut
- R7 1941 v HAW14 June 1941
- Most recent
- GF 1942 v ESS19 Sept 1942
Stats
Bio
Hailing from the Gippsland town of Sale, Des Martin was a tenacious rover and forward pocket who took a circuitous route to VFL football via Frankston and an unsuccessful trial with South Melbourne in 1939. After an initial RAAF enlistment was cut short by a leg injury, Martin finally broke into the Swans' senior side in 1941, but his most notable campaign came the following year amidst the disruption of the Second World War. In a rare mid-season transfer, he crossed from South Melbourne to Richmond in 1942, quickly earning a place in the Tigers' lineup and finishing the year as the 19th man in the Grand Final loss to Essendon. Following active service in New Guinea, he forged a successful country coaching career before returning to Punt Road as a long-serving administrator and President of the club's Former Players and Officials Association.
Profile
- Born
- 02 Aug 1913
- Died
- 07 Dec 1985 (aged 72y 127d)
- Birthplace
- Sale, VIC
- Deathplace
- South Melbourne, VIC
- Height
- 171 cm
- Weight
- 73 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionHailing from the Gippsland town of Sale, Des Martin was a tenacious rover and forward pocket who took a circuitous route to VFL football via Frankston and an unsuccessful trial with South Melbourne in 1939. After an initial RAAF enlistment was cut short by a leg injury, Martin finally broke into the Swans' senior side in 1941, but his most notable campaign came the following year amidst the disruption of the Second World War. In a rare mid-season transfer, he crossed from South Melbourne to Richmond in 1942, quickly earning a place in the Tigers' lineup and finishing the year as the 19th man in the Grand Final loss to Essendon. Following active service in New Guinea, he forged a successful country coaching career before returning to Punt Road as a long-serving administrator and President of the club's Former Players and Officials Association.