Australian Football

Equally at home leading the ruck or at centre half forward, George ‘Staunch’ Owens was among the greatest of many fine players to front up for East Perth during that club’s most auspicious era. Between 1919 and 1927 the Royals won no fewer than seven flags, and Owens was a significant contributor to all of them. Moreover, in 1925 when East Perth missed out, Owens enjoyed personal consolation of a sort by becoming his club’s second Sandover Medallist. Had East Perth conferred regular fairest and best awards during his career it is likely that Owens would have bee the recipient of several.

An automatic selection in West Australian interstate teams for much of his career, Owens participated in both the 1924 and 1927 carnivals, and played a total of 17 state games. 

When his 195-game league career was over, he took up umpiring, and proved just as successful as he had been as a player. In all, he umpired a total of 135 WANFL games between 1935 and 1941, including five Grand Finals.

In June 2006, ‘Staunch’ Owens was picked as first ruckman in East Perth’s official ‘Team of the Century 1906 to 1944’.

Author - John Devaney