Australian Football

After playing senior football initially with Greensborough, Stan Judkins joined rapidly improving VFA side Northcote in 1926 where he played a total of 32 games in two seasons. In 1928 he crossed to Richmond, where he was soon to acquire a reputation as one of the wiliest and most accomplished wingmen in the VFL.

In nine seasons at the top level Judkins played a total of 133 games, with the undoubted highlight of his career coming in 1930 when he won the Brownlow Medal, albeit in somewhat controversial fashion. Judkins was one of three players - the others being Collingwood's Harry Collier, and Alan Hopkins of Footscray - to finish in pole position in the count with four votes. However, the VFL decided that Judkins should be the outright winner because he had played fewer senior games during the season than either of his rivals. Ironically, the only reason for this was that Judkins had been dropped by Richmond late in the year because of poor form! Hopkins and Collier were both later awarded retrospective Medals, but for more than half a century the league's official records showed Judkins as the sole recipient of a Brownlow in 1930.

Judkins was on a wing when the Tigers won the Grand Finals of 1932 and 1934 against Carlton and South Melbourne respectively. He also played in the losing Grand Final teams of 1928, 1931 and 1933. Quick, adroit, and possessed of impeccable ball handling skills, Stan Judkins was a bona fide crowd pleaser who made a sizeable and significant contribution to one of the most auspicious eras in the history of the Richmond Football Club. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, he was only selected to represent the VFL on one occasion, against Tasmania in 1932.

Judkins left Richmond after the 1936 season, and the following year coached Albury to a premiership in the Ovens and Murray Football League. In 1949 he replaced Len Toyne as coach of VFA side Sandringham following Toyne's resignation five games into the season. The Zebras endured a poor year, managing just six wins and a draw from their 21 matches, and finishing second from last, so that few people would have been surprised when Judkins was not reappointed.

Author - John Devaney