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Sat 27 Jul 1946 - News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954)
Page 5 - Three Years' Football Under False Name
IF MY FATHER had really
had his way, I would have
never played football. When
I was a lad, I was
thrown out of a
baker's cart and dis.
located my left elbow. From that
day on, the elbow was easily knocked
out of joint, leaving me with virtually
a broken arm. It made my father issue a
"no football" edict, but I so loved the game
that for three seasons I sneaked out on
training nights and Saturdays, and played
junior football under the assumed name of
"Sampson."
IT was not until 1907, when I first
went out with Port, that I
dared disclose that I had been
playing football, and then he re-
lented—although reluctantly—and
consented to my playing the game.
I came into football in a round
about way. The team I wanted
to play with—the Semaphore Sea-
sides—wouldn't have me, because
I lived at Glanville, and they had
an abhorrence of Glanville boys.
There was much district rivalry
in those days.
But one day an old friend,
Mick Curtin, asked me to appear
for a Marist Brothers team
against the Seasides. I did, and
played well, and the Semaphore
chaps thereupon decided to waive
their dislike of Glanvilleites and
asked me to join their team.
T'hey undertook to look after my
togs for me, so that my father
would not learn I was playing. I
put in two happy years with the
Semaphore team, and then gradu-
ated to the Semaphore Centrals—
an old-established Amateur League
team from which Port Adelaide
has gained many stars. That was
in 1906.
I was working with Big Tom
Leahy at the time, and Tom was
playing with West Adelaide in the
league. I had seen my idols, Port,
play only once in my life. He
kept asking me when I was going
to try for league football.
Day after day, Tom would ask
me. "Well, little 'un, have you
made up your mind yet—West or
Port?"
I was invited to Alberton, and
from that day on my football
anonymity had to be abandoned.
I told my father about the invi-
tation, and he agreed to let me
play. That was in the 1907
season.
It was not long before I received
my first salutary lesson. We were
playing West,
who were not
strong. There
were only seven
teams in the
league then—
Told by "Shine" Hosking
To Lawrie Jervis Jun
Glenelg didn't become a league
team until 1921—and our next
match was against Torrens on the
Eight Hours Day holiday.
I was not putting much ginger
into my play, when suddenly I felt
the heftiest kick in the pants I've
ever had. I turned round sharply
and found Nicky Corston, Port
captain, glaring at me.
"Did you do that," I said
heatedly.
"Yes," he replied. "and you'll get
another if you don't get into the
game."
"I'm saving myself for the Tor-
rens match," I said.
"You won't even be picked if you
don't get into the game a bit
more," said Nicky. After that I
always scanned the papers
anxiously to see if I were picked
in the Port team.
However, it wasn't long before
the inevitable happened, and I put
my elbow "out"—against North at
Alberton. At the first bounce I
went down, and immediately my
elbow became dislocated. I said
to another Port man, "Sinc" Dixon,
"Lend me your ankle strap." He
gave it to me, and I bound my
elbow tightly and played out the
first quarter.
Sam ("Shine") Hosking
was one of the most colorful
small footballers in South
Australia over a period of 15
years when he played with
Port. He joined them in
1907 and retired in 1921.
Port won four premier-
ships during that time—in
1910, 1913, 1914, and 1921.
In 1927, when he was
nearly 40. "Shine" made a
brief comeback at the re-
quest of Port selectors, and
played two matches to lend
force to the forward line.
He played in the 1911 and
1921 carnivals, and has lost
count of the number of
games in which he appeared
for the State.
As a coach he took Tor-
rens premiers in 1933, and
Port to successive premier-
ships in 1936 and 1937. In
1939 Torrens, whom he
coached, fought out the
grand final with Port.
Only 5 ft. 6 in. in height
and weighing barely 9 st.
when he began his career,
"Shine" won the Magarey
Medal in 1910, when he
captained Port and played at
centre.
This was the first time my
elbow was dislocated in league
matches. But in the next seven
years I was a casualty every
July—It always seemed to be
July. In all, during my career,
that poor elbow cracked up 14
times.
So I always played with a tight
strapping on the weakness. If it
became dislocated, a sharp smack
with my right hand usually put it
right again, although my left arm
would go blue down to the finger
tips, and at times my fingers were
so numb that I could not grasp
the ball.
At the start of the 1909 season
injury again befell me, when at
work—a ladle of hot metal spilled
over my legs and feet.
But I resumed football after
a short rest, and when we played
Sturt that year I figured in a
controversial incident which con-
tributed to a new rule being
brought in.
Sturt then had a pretty good
team, among them "Dempsey's Im
migrants" ° Harry Cumberland,
Phil Matson, "Diver" Dunne,
Albert Heinrichs, and Bert Ren-
frey.
In this match they had a full
back named Gregory. At least I
think that was his name.
Jack Willard, Port utility man,
told me before the match that
Gregory was his brother-in-law,
and that he was a weak drop or
punt kick and usually relied on
place kicks.
So I waited until Gregory was
about to kick off. I watched him
"set" the ball for a place kick,
and as he walked back to take his
run at it I raced up and stood
astride over the ball.
Immediately the crowd set up a
howling and hooting. Gregory
looked amazedly at the umpire. I
watched the umpire closely, too,
and could see that he was bewil-
dered and didn't know quite what
to make of it.
Anyway, he gave no decision
against me, and Gregory was,
forced to kick either punts or drop
kicks after that.
Later a rule was introduced com-
pelling players to stand back at
least 10 yards from the goal kick-
ing-off area.
In 1910, after Nicky Corston had
retired, I was switched to centre
for the magpies.
That was when I won the Ma-
garey Medal, but one incident
during a Port-West game still
stands out. Tom Leahy—he was
a giant of a man—and I, just a
lightweight, were still working to-
gether.
During the week before the
match Tom beamed at me one day
and said: "Now look here, little 'un,
you keep out of my way on Satur-
day and I'll keep out of yours."
In those days the Adelaide Oval
was encircled by a wide, asphalt
cycling track. During the game
play swung into a forward pocket
near the present members' stand.
A pack surged after the ball,
and I whipped round to snatch
it up—almost. Next thing I got
a terrific bump, and hurtled half
way up the asphalt bike track.
When I picked myself up, there
was Big Tom, chuckling. So
much for our "understanding."
Dick Head, West's champion,
was by far the hardest man I ever
met while playing at the pivot.
He was much taller than I, fast,
and a hard-hitter.
My tactics, when opposed to
Dick, were to spoil as often as I
could, as I had little hope of out
marking him.
Too many players today, justly
proud of their marking ability
though they may be, seem un-
willing to spoil an opponent, even
though a blind dog can see that
they have no chance of taking the
ball from a mark.
Champions of the past, even the
great highfliers, were never afraid
to spoil, and then use their pace
and ground cleverness to go after
it.
I remember one match against
Victoria, played on the North Mel-
bourne ground, which we used to
call the "gluepot." Bert Renfrey, a
great footballer and astute captain,
led South Australia. I was roving
and in a forward pocket.
My opponent was a young back-
man, and volunteered the news
that it was his first State game.
So I had a quick conference with
Tom Leahy. I said to him, "This
bird I'm on is playing his first
State game. We'll trap him. When
"Shine" HoskingHelp
you go for the ball, I'll run him
right up to you, then drop back
smartly, and you can hook it back
over his head."
It worked like a charm. I ran
the youngster almost into Tom 's
arms every time the ball was in
the air, and Tom would pat it
back. I got four goals, and
South Australia won.
Twice against Sturt, I can recall
instances when I "put it over."
Actually, they were only incidents
such as happen every day in foot-
ball, but they attracted notice at
the time.
Harry Cumberland—one of the
best footballers South Australia
has seen—was making position to
mark the ball near Sturt's goal.
If he had taken it, he would surely
have goaled. I raced up from be-
hind just as he was about to mark.
I had no
chance myself,
so I gave Harry
a quick back
hander in the solar plexus,
solar plexus, his wind and up long enough
which snatched his wind and
doubled him up long enough
to cause him to miss the
ball. Then I raced away. Play
went on, and the ball was rushed
from the danger area.
Later, though Harry angrily
accused "Welshy" Davis of hitting
him, and when "Welshy" dis-
claimed all knowledge of the inci-
dent—quite honestly, too—they
scuffled a bit. Later, of course,
Harry found that I was the culprit.
Jack Lonergan was another
Sturt victim. Jack always ran
with his arms shooting out in front
of him like pistons. This time I
was chasing the ball towards the
boundary, with Jack close behind
me, but with the umpire far afield.
I could see the ball would go
out of bounds unless something
happened—so I threw my hands
up sharply, as if I'd been pushed
in the back.
Sure enough, I received a free
kick.
A player can get away with
subterfuges like that now and
again; possibly he will be the
victim at times. But no player
who continually "stages" for
marks will ever reach the top
In football.
When I retired from the active
side of league football I took on
coaching, and since 1921 have
tutored West, South, Port, and
Torrens. I always drill into the
young players of today that they
should concentrate on their weak
points.
There is little benefit—or wis-
dom—in a player going out to
practise something at which he is
already adept.
My idea of training was to "sha-
dow spar" with an imaginary
opponent. If I fell over—pur-
posely or accidentally—I'd see how
quickly I could rise.
Again, when taking a mark
on my own, I'd conjure up a
vision of an opponent coming
from behind, and work on moves
to beat him—knock the ball on,
chase it, turn and boot.
I always had that imaginary
opponent at my side in training
and found it the surest way of
giving extra zip to practice nights.
1925 Grand Final
To The Editor
Sir—In "Wat" Scott's reminis-
cences ("News," 15/6/46), he stated
that in the 1925 grand final, Nor-
wood outplayed Torrens for the
premiership, and that he was op-
posed to me at centre half-back.
He said that after half-time, Tor-
rens began playing away from me,
to work through a wing to Len
Mills in a forward pocket.
I do not wish to have the loss
of a premiership fastened on to
my shoulders. I did not play
in the 1925 grand final, and
watched it from the grandstand,
having retired a year before.
R. M. PAIN.
18 Alma road, Fullarton Estate.
When this was referred to "Wat"
Scott, he said be was under the im-
pression that Pain was the Torrens
centre half-forward for the match in
question. Field placings as given in
"The News" on the day of the match,
however, show J. Lock as the Torrens
centre half-forward.—L. W. J.]
Article identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130857375
Page identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page11124784
APA citation
Three Years' Football Under False Name (1946, July 27).News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved November 25, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130857375
MLA citation
"Three Years' Football Under False Name"News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954) 27 July 1946: 5. Web. 25 Nov 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130857375>.
Harvard/Australian citation
1946 'Three Years' Football Under False Name',News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), 27 July, p. 5. , viewed 25 Nov 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130857375
Wikipedia citation
{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130857375 |title=Three Years' Football Under False Name |newspaper=[[News]] |volume=47, |issue=7,171 |location=South Australia |date=27 July 1946 |accessdate=25 November 2025 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}

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