Syd McGain

Syd McGain
Personal information
Full name Sydney John McGain[1]
Date of birth (1917-02-05)5 February 1917
Place of birth Fitzroy North, Victoria
Date of death 23 November 2008(2008-11-23) (aged 91)
Place of death Strathmore, Victoria
Original team(s) Mathoura
Height 174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 73 kg (161 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1938 Essendon 01 (1)
1940–1943 Fitzroy 12 (0)
1943–1945 North Melbourne 12 (0)
Total 25 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1945.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Sydney John McGain (5 February 1917 – 23 November 2008) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon, Fitzroy and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2][3]

Football

McGain was born in Fitzroy North but played his early football for New South Wales club Mathoura, after moving to the state to become a horse-breaker.[4] A wingman, McGain played for Pascoe Vale when he returned to Melbourne, then joined Essendon and made one appearances for the club in the 1938 VFL season.[4][5] Due to a pay dispute, McGain left Essendon for Fitzroy.[6] McGain played eight league games for Fitzroy in 1940, but added just four more games over the next three years.[5] He was convinced to cross to North Melbourne during the 1943 season, after their captain Dally O'Brien offered to send a car to take him to training from his army base in Maribyrnong.[4] At North Melbourne he played 12 senior games, six each in 1943 and 1945.[5]

Umpiring & Professional Running

From 1947 to 1949, McGain was a member of the VFL Umpires Association and officiated in various leagues across the state.[4] Also a professional runner, he won the 1947 Maryborough Gift and reached the semi-finals of the Stawell Gift in 1948.[4] He won the Moyhu Gift in 1951.[7]

He was one of the founders of the Strathmore Football Club in the 1950s and acted as their first ever coach.[4] The Syd McGain Oval in Strathmore is named in his honour, renamed from Lebanon Park in 1997.[4]

References

  1. ^ "WW2 Nominal Roll". Government of Australia.
  2. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
  3. ^ "McGain, Syd". Essendon Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Syd McGain". AFL Umpires Association.
  5. ^ a b c AFL Tables: Syd McGain
  6. ^ The Age,"Dons patch up and old rift", 9 October 2006, Martin Blake
  7. ^ "1951 - Benalla winners". Benalla Ensign. 8 March 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 25 July 2021.