Australian Football

Without doubt one of the finest St Kilda footballers of the inter-war years, Cyril Gambetta eked out a 129-game VFL career for himself despite suffering from badly bowed legs, which were a legacy of an attack of polio while he was a youngster. He began his senior career in the VFA with Hawthorn, where he earned a reputation as a useful forward, but it was a full back that he played for most of his time with the Saints. His judgement and anticipation were first rate, and he was regarded as one of the best high marks of his time. 

Gambetta arrived at St Kilda in 1922, and played his last match in 1931, which meant that he only ever got to play in one finals team. That was in a 1929 semi final against Carlton in which the Saints trailed narrowly all day, eventually going down by eight points. Gambetta, who won his club's best and fairest award in 1925, played interstate football twice for the VFL. The fact that he played some of his early football with the Saints on the forward lines is evidenced by his feat in kicking 75 goals during the course of his league career.

One does not envy the St Kilda 'Team of the Century' selectors having had to chose between Gambetta and the likes of Verdun Howell, Danny Frawley and Barry Lawrence for the coveted full back position in the side. In the end, they went for Howell, but there can be no doubt that Gambetta's contribution to the club, during an era that combined intermittent promise with repeated under-achievement, was noteworthy in the extreme.

Author - John Devaney