Australian Football

In the opinion of the selectors who picked the Kangaroos' official 'Team of the 20th Century', 'Jock' Spencer was the club's greatest ever full forward - no mean accolade when you consider that Arden Street has also been home to the likes of John Dugdale, Doug Wade, Malcolm Blight and John Longmire.

Recruited from North Kensington, Spencer made his VFL debut in 1948, and went on to play 153 games and boot 475 goals over the next 10 seasons. Much of his career coincided with that of the legendary John Coleman, but his high status at the time is evidenced by the regularity with which he was selected to represent the VFL. Spencer donned the Big V jumper on 7 occasions, and was the top goal kicker, with 17 goals, at the 1956 Perth carnival. His omission from the All Australian team that year in favour of Western Australia's John Gerovich (who booted 13 goals) was treated with unmasked disdain by the Melbourne media.

A spectacular and effective aerialist, combining a prodigious leap with a clamp-like grip that rarely relinquished control of the ball, Spencer was also a thumping if sometimes wayward kick, equally capable of registering full points from 55 metres out and missing everything from the edge of the goal square. He topped North's goal kicking list on seven occasions, and won the club's best and fairest award in 1951. After leaving the VFL at the end of the 1957 season he spent time with both his original club North Kensington and with City United in the Goulburn Valley Football League.

Author - John Devaney