Jack Brain

Recruited from the Gippsland town of Trafalgar, Jack Brain was a diminutive rover who stands as a notable example of a VFL career interrupted by World War II. Standing just 169cm and weighing 63kg, Brain broke into the Hawthorn lineup in 1941, quickly establishing himself as a nippy, ground-level player who could rest effectively in the forward pocket. However, his football journey was halted after the 1942 season when he enlisted, serving as a signalman in the Australian Army and missing the entirety of the 1943, 1944, and 1945 campaigns. He returned to Glenferrie Oval in 1946 to resume his career, adding another three seasons to his tally in a Hawthorn side that struggled for competitiveness during the post-war years. Brain eventually departed the league at the end of 1948, leaving behind a 58-game record that likely would have reached the 100-game milestone had his prime years not been sacrificed for military service.