Jack Brake

One of the few genuine stars to emerge from the short-lived University Football Club, Jack Brake was a dominant ruckman whose elite athleticism was underscored by his concurrent status as a record-breaking pole vaulter. Originally from Horsham, the agricultural science student was renowned for his commitment, famously motorcycling 26 miles over rough terrain from Dookie College just to catch the train for matches. His club career was forced into a new direction in 1915 when University withdrew from the VFL, prompting a transfer to Melbourne, but his momentum was almost immediately halted by his enlistment in the Great War. Brake served as a lieutenant and kept his skills sharp by competing in the historic 1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game in London, eventually returning to the Demons for a brief post-war stint before retiring as a "what could have been" talent whose prime was sacrificed to military service.