Jack Broadstock

A South Australian phenomenon whose VFL career was as brief as it was brilliant, Jack Broadstock arrived at Richmond from West Adelaide courtesy of a wartime military posting. Possessing a paradoxical mix of rugged aggression and exquisite ball-handling skills, he was a utility capable of dominating as a centreman, ruck-rover, or centre-half forward. His tenure is immortalised by the folklore of the 1943 Grand Final, where he famously went AWOL from his Army duties to take the field; after Jack Dyer negotiated his release from Military Police at the ground, Broadstock played a pivotal role in the Tigers' premiership victory in just his sixth league game. Dyer later described him as the most talented footballer he had ever seen, though Broadstock's time at Punt Road was volatile, marred by a lengthy suspension in 1944 that hampered the club's premiership defence. He eventually returned to the SANFL to captain-coach West Adelaide, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most gifted wartime recruits to ever don the yellow and black.