Australian Football

Widely acknowledged as the finest rover of his day, John ‘Bunny’ Daly was at the forefront of the game for almost twenty years. Commencing at Norwood in 1887, his blistering pace and exquisite skills of evasion made him a virtual overnight sensation, and he was one of the main reasons for the Redlegs’ hat trick of premierships between 1887 and ‘89. In 1888 he helped his club to an emphatic triumph 3-0 over South Melbourne in a three match ‘Test’ series to determine Australia’s champion club.

After twelve seasons and 119 games with Norwood, Daly was forced to move to West Adelaide in 1899 because of a new rule stipulating that players had to play for the club in whose electoral district they resided. At the time, West Adelaide was consistently floundering near the base of the premiership ladder, and although ‘Bunny’ Daly continued to perform with great distinction, he was unable to improve the club’s lot. He retired at the end of the 1904 season after a total of precisely 200 games which spawned four premierships (all for Norwood) and saw him spend time as captain of both of his clubs. He also played seven times for South Australia.

John Daly’s brother Anthony was a champion goal kicker with no fewer than five different clubs, while his son, John junior, was a star rover with South Adelaide and South Australia during the 1920s.

Author - John Devaney