Australian Football

An extremely resolute and determined player, whose hyper-aggressiveness helped compensate for a lack of pace and flair, John Hyde was a key contributor, at centre half back, to Geelong's premiership wins of 1951 and 1952. The sort of player who never took a sideways step, he was invariably at his best when the chips were down - an all too rare state of affairs at Kardinia Park during the early 1950s, admittedly, but an almost weekly occurrence at Hyde's next port of call, which was perennial WANFL under-achievers, Claremont.

In 1955, Hyde arrived at the West Australian Tigers in buoyant and optimistic frame of mind, having accepted a two year contract as captain-coach. What he saw when he arrived must have been almost enough to make jump straight on the next train back to Melbourne. To call Claremont's set-up ramshackle would be to understate the matter considerably. Having come from a club which, by the standards of the time, was one of the most professionally run in the country, John Hyde was suddenly confronted by a set of players who turned up for training when it suited them, changed in a tin shed that was more akin to a lean-to, and celebrated matches in which they got to within half a dozen goals of top sides as though they were victories. In two years at the club, Hyde could do little to turn things around, but he at least managed to infuse a certain sense of dignity and pride in performance in many of the players.

Voted fairest and best in his debut season with Claremont, Hyde had earlier won Geelong's top award as well. He played 108 games for the Cats between 1948 and 1954, and 37 in two seasons with Claremont. He also represented Western Australia twice.

Author - John Devaney