Max Oaten

A country schoolteacher recruited from Melton, Max Oaten famously signed with South Melbourne just days before Collingwood intended to secure his signature. While he arrived at the Lake Oval with a background in defence, the Swans quickly realised his potential in the forward half, utilising his superb aerial ability and strong hands to great effect. Oaten was not a traditional stay-at-home full-forward, often doing his best work from centre half-forward or the flank, yet he still possessed the goal sense to top the club's goalkicking tables in 1958 and 1960. His consistency overhead was rewarded with Victorian state selection in 1960, cementing his status as a key target during a period where the side often struggled for scoring power. He wore the number 19 guernsey with distinction until 1962, a legacy later carried on by his son, Michael, who played senior football for the club in the early 1980s.