Australian Football

A copiously talented footballer with a reputation for feistiness, Fred Wimbridge enjoyed a long and successful league career with three clubs. He also played three games of interstate football for Western Australia, and spent some time in country Victoria.

Adaptable in the extreme, and a thumping kick, he could perform with equal effectiveness at the goal-front, across half forward, or at full back. He commenced his league career with Perth in 1911, and was a key member of the side which contested five finals series out of six between 1911 and 1916. He was the Redlegs' top goal getter in 1915 with 36 goals.

The second phase of Wimbridge's career saw him at West Perth, where he produced arguably the best football of his career. In 1921 he was a member of the victorious Western Australian combination at the Perth carnival. Lining up at full back in both of the state's matches, he performed particularly impressively in the clash with the VFL, which the home state ended up winning by five points. His performances appear all the more creditable when you consider that he spent most of the 1921 season playing as a forward for his club, for whom he booted a total of 30 goals to head its goal-kicking list.

Wimbridge spent the 1925 season in the VFL with South Melbourne, where he played eight games and kicked 12 goals. He then undertook his aforementioned spell in Victorian country football before rounding off his career with two seasons back at Perth in 1928-9, taking his final tally of league appearances with that club to 105.

Author - John Devaney