Vic Cumberland

Vic Cumberland's career was a remarkable odyssey that spanned three decades, multiple states, and even international borders, cementing his legacy as the "Grand Old Man" of Australian football. Originally from Toorak, he cut his teeth in Tasmanian football before joining Melbourne, where he established himself as a powerful ruckman and played a pivotal role in the club's 1900 premiership. Despite this early success, Cumberland was a restless talent; he crossed to St Kilda in 1903 to help lift the struggling Saints off the bottom of the ladder, but his VFL career was punctuated by significant gaps as he worked in New Zealand—pioneering the code across the Tasman—and later won a Magarey Medal with Sturt in South Australia.

He returned to the Junction Oval for multiple stints, including an appearance in St Kilda's historic first Grand Final in 1913, but his most famous chapter was written after the First World War. Having enlisted in his late 30s and sustained injuries while serving in France, Cumberland returned to VFL football in 1920 at an age when most players had long since retired. A durable, strong-marking follower who was renowned for his long place-kicking, he played his final game at 43 years of age, setting a league record that stands to this day. His longevity was not merely a gimmick, with contemporary reports describing him as one of St Kilda's best performers right until the final siren of his career.