Des Martin

Norman Desmond Martin (2 August 1913 – 7 December 1985) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne and Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

Des Martin
Personal information
Full name Norman Desmond Martin
Date of birth 2 August 1913
Place of birth Sale, Victoria
Date of death 7 December 1985(1985-12-07) (aged 72)
Place of death Prahran, Victoria
Original team(s) Frankston Bombers
Height 171 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight 73 kg (161 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1941–1942 South Melbourne 10 0(6)
1942 Richmond 05 0(5)
Total 15 (11)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1942.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The youngest of 11 children born to Thomas Martin (1864–1937)[2] and Ellen Martin (1867–1940),[3] née Smith, Norman Desmond Martin was born in Sale, Victoria on 2 August 1913.[4]

Des Martin married Ivy Jean Purdy on 27 December 1941.[5]

Football

Sale

Having commenced playing in the local Sale competition in 1933,[6] Des Martin soon won a place in the Sale team competing in the Gippsland Football Association.[7]

Frankston

In 1936, Martin moved to Frankston where he made an immediate impression[8] and ended the season scoring four goals in a one-point loss to the Naval Depot team in the (Preliminary) Final of the Peninsula League.[9] He was a leading player throughout 1937 before he was sidelined with injury for the 1938 season. Martin trained with South Melbourne before the 1939 season[10] but he did not make the final list and he returned to Frankston.

In October 1940 Martin enlisted to service in the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II[11] but was subsequently discharged due to a physical defect with his leg.[12]

South Melbourne

Martin returned to South Melbourne in 1941 and after playing well in the reserves[13] he made his debut in the middle of the 1941 VFL season.[14] A rover and half forward, he played nine games that year.

Martin enlisted for a second time in early 1942, this time in the Australian Army,[15] and had an operation to correct an issue in his leg.[12] He was made captain of the South Melbourne seconds team but made one more appearance in the senior team in round 11 of the 1942 VFL season.

Richmond

Des Martin crossed over to Richmond in the middle of the 1942 season[16] and he played five games for them, his final appearance being as a reserve for Richmond in the 1942 VFL Grand Final, which they lost to Essendon.[14]

Murray Football League

Martin joined the Berrigan Football Club as captain-coach when he returned from war service.[15][17]

He won the Murray Football League's best and fairest award, the O'Dwyer Medal in 1946 and was runner up in 1948, when playing for Berrigan.

In 1947, Martin coached Minyip Football Club[18]

References
  1. Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Bas Publishing. p. 554. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  2. "Family Notices". Gippsland Times. No. 10, 483. Victoria, Australia. 30 September 1937. p. 8.
  3. "Family Notices". Gippsland Times. No. 11, 139. Victoria, Australia. 22 April 1940. p. 8.
  4. "Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria". Government of Victoria.
  5. "Jottings Of Jill". Gippsland Times. No. 11, 229. Sale, Victoria. 9 February 1942. p. 2.
  6. "Position of Teams". Gippsland Times. No. 10, 000. Victoria, Australia. 24 August 1933. p. 1.
  7. "FOOTBALL". Gippsland Times. No. 10, 090. Victoria, Australia. 16 July 1934. p. 1.
  8. "NAVY BEGINS WELL". Frankston And Somerville Standard. Victoria, Australia. 15 May 1936. p. 6.
  9. "MORNINGTON LEAGUE". The Age. No. 25, 402. Victoria, Australia. 14 September 1936. p. 4.
  10. "Football". Record. Vol. XLIV, no. 11. Victoria, Australia. 18 March 1939. p. 3.
  11. "World War II Roll: Norman Martin". Department of Veterans Affairs.
  12. "SOUTH FOOTBALLER IN MILITARY HOSPITAL". Record. Vol. XLVII, no. 8. Victoria, Australia. 28 February 1942. p. 1.
  13. "ONE CHANGE AT FOOTSCRAY". The Age. No. 26, 875. Victoria, Australia. 6 June 1941. p. 4.
  14. AFL Tables: Des Martin
  15. "World War II Roll: Desmond Martin". Department of Veterans Affairs.
  16. "LEADERS WILL BE TESTED Interest in VFL Games". The Argus. No. 29, 932. Victoria, Australia. 31 July 1942. p. 6.
  17. The Argus,"D. Martin For Berrigan", 6 April 1946, p. 10
  18. "1948 - Back to Berrigan". Shepparton Advertiser. 19 March 1948. p. 3. Retrieved 15 May 2020 – via Trove Newspapers.


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