Vic Nankervis

Born into a footballing family as the son of former Geelong player Stephen Nankervis, Vic Nankervis was a sharp-shooting rover and forward whose career was heavily disrupted by the Second World War. After enlisting in the army in 1940, his time in the VFL was fragmented by service commitments, which saw him play as a wartime fill-in for Footscray and St Kilda while Geelong was in recess during 1942 and 1943. He returned to the Cats in 1944 and produced his finest individual football the following season, using his pace and goal sense to boot 43 majors—including a seven-goal haul against Footscray—to top the club’s goalkicking table. Nankervis finished his league career with a brief stint at South Melbourne in 1946, remembered as a talented goal-sneak who performed admirably despite the chaotic era in which he played.