Australian Football

George Victor 'Mick' Pleass was a talented follower who played 109 games for South Melbourne during the club's first eight VFL seasons, having begun his career with the club while it was still a member of the VFA. He was a star of South's losing VFA premiership play-off encounter with Collingwood in 1896 (reviewed here). He combined great strength and authority with tremendous skill for a big man, and was three times selected to represent the VFL. Tireless and resolute, he frequently spent entire matches on the ball, and often seemed to get better as the going intensified.

In 1902, Pleass surprised both team mates and club officials when he decided to umpire rather than play, but after just five weeks he was back in the South Melbourne lineup. Two years later, he sought a transfer to Western Australia, but this was refused. Pleass' response was to refuse to play, and several weeks later a deal was done whereby he was cleared to play with Essendon. After just four games for the Same Old, however, Pleass headed west to join WA Goldfields league side Boulder Stars. After a promising start, however, his career was brought peremptorily to an end by injury during the 1906 season.

Author - John Devaney