Merv McIntosh
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Merv McIntosh (born 25 November 1922) is a former Australian rules footballer in the (then) West Australian National Football League (WANFL). A brilliant ruckman, he was awarded the Sandover Medal as the fairest and best player in the league three times while playing with the Perth Football Club.
Merv McIntosh played 217 games for Perth (severely curtailed by the World War II years), plus 20 state games for Western Australia in the period 1939 to 1955. In a richly rewarded career he won 3 Sandover Medals, 3 Simpson Medals and a Tassie Medal (at the 1953 Australian Football Championships in Adelaide). He was named in the 1953 All-Australian Team.
His Simpson Medal winning performance in his last game, propelling Perth to a 2 point victory in the 1955 grand final (Perth's first for 48 years), is legendary. At half-time, East Fremantle had a 34-point lead, but in the third quarter McIntosh led his side to get within 2 points at the last change. In the final quarter, kicking into the wind, Perth managed to get in front and hold East Freo at bay to win 11.11 (77) to 11.9 (75). McIntosh's strategy was to stay in the dead pocket and repeatedly kick the ball out-of-bounds.[1]
He won 7 Fairest & Best Awards for his club. At his peak he was regarded by many as Australia's premier ruckman.
[edit] Career highlights
- Perth 217 games
- 24 State games
- Perth Captain 1947-1950, 1952
- Perth Fairest & Best 1946-1950, 1952, 1954
- Sandover Medallist 1948, 1953, 1954
- Simpson Medallist 1952, 1953, 1955
- All-Australian 1953
The Merv McIntosh Entrance to the Subiaco Oval is named in his honour.[2]
In 1996 Merv McIntosh was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
In 2004 he was inducted to Legend Status in the WA Football Hall of Fame.
[edit] References
- Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers, p. 93. ISBN 0-7322-6426-X.
- AFL Hall of Fame
- Full Points Footy Bio
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