| Herbie Matthews | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | James Herbert Charles Matthews | ||
| Date of birth | (1913-11-12)12 November 1913 | ||
| Place of birth | Prahran, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 8 June 1990(1990-06-08) (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Apollo Bay, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Fairfield | ||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1932–1945 | South Melbourne | 191 (17) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| Victoria | 4 (1) | ||
| Coaching career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
| 1939, 1954–1957 | South Melbourne | 90 (27–62–1) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1945. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
James Herbert Charles Matthews (12 November 1913 – 8 June 1990) was anAustralian rules footballer who played forSouth Melbourne in theVictorian Football League (VFL). He was recruited to South Melbourne from suburban club Fairfield. His father,"Butcher" Matthews, partnered the greatRoy Cazaly in South Melbourne's ruck combination of the early 1920s. Although he was smaller and slighter in build than his ruckman father, he was a strong mark and showed a ferocious drive for possession of the football. He was recruited by South Melbourne at the age of 17 in the face of determined approaches fromCollingwood and his localVictorian Football Association club,Northcote.[1]
A centreman and wingman with great pace, stamina and skills, he was awarded theBrownlow Medal in 1940 and was runner-up on another two occasions. He won his club'sbest and fairest award five times and captained them from 1938 until 1945.
Matthews crossed toVictorian Football Association clubOakleigh in 1946 as playing coach,[2] and served there for two seasons.[3]
In 1997 Matthews was inducted into theAustralian Football Hall of Fame and in 2003 was named on the wing in South Melbourne's official Team of the Century.
