Australian Football

Bo¹ Morton of Sturt was one of several top quality full forwards to emerge in South Australian football during the 1930s, and while he was by no means the most prolific in front of goal, he was arguably the most talented all round footballer of the lot. Three times a Sturt best and fairest award winner, he was capable of playing in several positions away from the goalfront, which undoubtedly reduced his goal tallies on occasions.

Morton kicked a total of 561 goals in his 138-game league career, which began in 1930, and ended after he had captain-coached the Blues to the 1940 flag. He also booted nine goals in half a dozen interstate appearances for South Australia. Despite his prowess in front of the sticks he never once topped the SANFL’s goal kicking ladder, although he was Sturt’s leading goal kicker on half a dozen occasions. In his final season he bagged 101 goals to ‘top the ton’ for the first time in his career, but North Adelaide’s Ken Farmer managed 125 to leave Morton in his wake. 

In the face, one imagines, of stern opposition from the likes of Malcolm Greenslade, Ken Whelan and Malcolm ‘Emmy’ Jones, ‘Bo’ Morton gained the full forward spot in Sturt’s official ‘Team of the Century’.

Author - John Devaney