Australian Football

Mark Tandy played his early football at Yarraville as a wingman, a role he also occupied for much of his time at South. His contribution to the club's 1918 Grand Final defeat of Collingwood was significant and decisive, as it was he who made the surging run down the wing culminating in a kick to the goal square which enabled Chris Laird to soccer the winning six-pointer.

While with South, Tandy found himself saddled with the inglorious nickname 'Napper', which apparently arose because of his alleged propensity for 'switching off' during games. At one stage in his career he roved to the famous Roy Cazaly-Fred Fleiter ruck combination, with Cazaly recalling that he often needed to 'gee' Tandy up in order to prevent him drifting out of the game. Nevertheless, Cazaly regarded Mark Tandy as the finest rover he ever saw.

In 1923, just as people were beginning to suggest that he ought to think of hanging up his boots, Tandy suddenly tapped into the richest vein of form of his career. He was chosen to represent the Big V that year, and again at the following year's Hobart carnival. All told, he made 13 appearances for the VFL, and had amassed a total of 207 league games by the time he retired in 1926.

In August 2003, Mark Tandy's reputation was enhanced when he was selected in Sydney's official 'Team of the 20th Century'.

Author - John Devaney