Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Samuel Pontifex

Known as
Max Pontifex

Nickname
Max

Senior clubs
West Torrens

Max Pontifex


ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
West TorrensSANFL1930-193474500.68
Total1930-193474500.68

West Torrens recruited Sam 'Max' Pontifex, then aged 19, from the Commonwealth Bank Football Club in 1929, and he made a number of appearances that year in the club’s ‘B’ grade team. After commencing the following season in ‘B’ grade, he made his senior debut in a round six loss to Port Adelaide at Thebarton, and never looked back.

A classy centreman, Pontifex won the 1932 Magarey Medal, and the club’s best and fairest award both that year and the next. He was also a regular South Australian interstate representative (10 games, nine goals), often reserving his very best performances for games against the VFL. In 1933 he was controversially suspended towards the end of the season forcing him to miss Torrens’ Grand Final win over Norwood. He resumed as good as if not better than ever in 1934, captaining both his club and state (four games), but sustaining an injury late in the year that prevented his fronting up for the finals.

In 1935 Pontifex was advised by his employer, the Commonwealth Bank, that he was shortly to be transferred, and so he elected not to strip for Torrens, bringing his five-season career with the club to a premature and scarcely satisfactory end after 74 games and 50 goals. In the event, he could easily have continued with the blue and golds for another season, because his employment transfer, to Launceston in Tasmania, was not ratified until the end of the year. From 1936 to 1938 he rounded off his senior football career as captain-coach of NTFA side City, ultimately going out in style with wins in both his club best and fairest award and the Tasman Shield Trophy in his last season.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Footy's SA Football Companion

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.