Australian Football

Jack Monohan was a brilliant follower or defender who was renowned for his superb aerial ability. One of the few players capable of matching it with Albert 'the Great' Thurgood, Monohan was controversially omitted from Collingwood's 1901 Grand Final line-up against Essendon, whereupon Thurgood gleefully cut loose with a near best afield performance as the Same Old ran away with a comfortable win.

The Magpies never thereafter made the mistake of dropping Monohan, and he repaid them with consistently brilliant performances for the remainder of his 236-game career, which had begun when Collingwood was still in the VFA, and finished at the end of the 1907 season. If Monohan had a weakness it was that his kicking tended to be erratic, but even this improved towards the end of his career making him virtually the consummate footballer.

Author - John Devaney