Australian Football

When ‘Joe’ Littler played his last game with Wynyard in 1932 he was 51 years of age, making him one of the oldest senior footballers ever. He commenced his career as a 16-year-old with Launceston in 1897, playing in a premiership team in his first season. Two years later, having relocated to Devonport, he captained Mersey to a flag - quite a remarkable feat considering he was still just 18 years of age.

Further flags with Mersey followed in 1901 and 1902 before Littler spent the 1903 season with South Melbourne, playing 10 VFL games. He returned to Mersey the next year, and was a member of another flag-winning team in 1905.

In 1908, Littler moved back to Launceston, this time as captain, and was selected in Tasmania’s team for the Melbourne carnival. Somewhat strangely, he elected to spend the following season as an umpire before resuming as a player, this time with City, in 1910. City won the premiership that season, but Littler was on the move again at the end of the year, this time to Wynyard, where he would enjoy his longest stint in senior football. That stint elicited three further premierships, and was broken only by a season with Yeoman, as captain, in 1924. During his two decades with Wynyard, Littler served the club as captain, secretary and league delegate. When he retired it was claimed that he had played in excess of 500 games, but this figure has never been substantiated, and is almost certainly an exaggeration. Two years after his retirement he became non-playing coach of the club.

Author - John Devaney