Ivor Warne-Smith
Melbourne
AFL career
146 games110 goals
- Debut
- R10 1919 v STK12 July 1919
- Most recent
- R18 1932 v COL3 Sept 1932
Coaching career
92 games48 wins42 losses2 draws
- First
- R1 1928 v ESS21 Apr 1928
- Most recent
- R18 1932 v COL3 Sept 1932
Stats
Bio
Born in North Sydney and a veteran of the Great War, Ivor Warne-Smith established one of the most remarkable legacies in league history despite a disjointed playing career. After a brief eight-game stint with Melbourne in 1919, he moved to Tasmania to work as an orchardist, dominating the north-western competition with Latrobe. He returned to the Demons in 1926 as a 28-year-old mature recruit and made an immediate impact, winning the Brownlow Medal in his first season back and claiming a second in 1928 to become the award's first dual winner.
Warne-Smith was renowned for his supreme fitness, versatility, and footballing intellect, often dictating play as a ruck-rover or centreman while maintaining the ability to plug holes in defence. He served as captain-coach during a golden era for the club, leading Melbourne to the 1926 premiership. Beyond his on-field dominance, he is remembered for his impeccable sportsmanship and leadership, eventually becoming an inaugural Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame and a vital administrator for the Demons in his post-playing days.
Profile
- Full name
- Ivor Phillip Scharrer Warne-Smith
- Born
- 29 Oct 1897
- Died
- 04 Mar 1960 (aged 62y 127d)
- Birthplace
- North Sydney, New South Wales
- Deathplace
- Newport, Melbourne, Victoria
- Height
- 182 cm
- Weight
- 86 kg
Teams
Coaching
- Melbourne (Senior Coach)1928–193292 games (W48 L42 D2), 52.2%
Honours
- Premiership1926
- Brownlow Medal(2×) 1926, 1928
- 2nd
- 1929
- Hall of Fame1996
- Melbourne captain(4×) 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931
Bio
1 revisionBorn in North Sydney and a veteran of the Great War, Ivor Warne-Smith established one of the most remarkable legacies in league history despite a disjointed playing career. After a brief eight-game stint with Melbourne in 1919, he moved to Tasmania to work as an orchardist, dominating the north-western competition with Latrobe. He returned to the Demons in 1926 as a 28-year-old mature recruit and made an immediate impact, winning the Brownlow Medal in his first season back and claiming a second in 1928 to become the award's first dual winner.
Warne-Smith was renowned for his supreme fitness, versatility, and footballing intellect, often dictating play as a ruck-rover or centreman while maintaining the ability to plug holes in defence. He served as captain-coach during a golden era for the club, leading Melbourne to the 1926 premiership. Beyond his on-field dominance, he is remembered for his impeccable sportsmanship and leadership, eventually becoming an inaugural Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame and a vital administrator for the Demons in his post-playing days.