Australian Football

Bill Mayman boasted the unique distinction of playing carnival football for three different states. He commenced his senior football career in 1906 with West Australian Goldfields Football Association side Mines Rovers which won the flag in his first season there. In 1911 he was one of 12 goldfields-based players chosen in Western Australia's 24-man squad for the Adelaide carnival where he ended up playing in three of the state's four matches.

In 1913, Bill Mayman returned to Adelaide on a more permanent basis when he was recruited by an ambitious Sturt side anxious to break its premiership duck. Playing at centre half forward, he attracted rave reviews, as well as the admiration and respect of his team mates. In 1914 he took over from Murray Brannigan as club captain, and later in the year was skipper of South Australia's team at the Sydney carnival. After playing superbly for most of the season he was rewarded with Sturt's best and fairest award.

The 1915 season brought the long awaited breakthrough for the Blues as they overcame a supposedly near invincible Port Adelaide side to clinch their first SAFL flag. Sturt won a tough and bruising challenge final against the Magpies by two goals, with Mayman best afield, but the intervention of war meant that it would be four years before the title could be defended. With Mayman still captaining the side, Sturt successfully retained the premiership in 1919 with a 3.5 (23) to 2.6 (18) defeat of North Adelaide in a replayed Challenge Final. Once again, Bill Mayman's contribution was unsurpassed.

Despite this triumph, however, there were some at Unley who did not find Mayman's style of captaincy to their liking, and the following season saw him ousted as skipper in favour of Vic Richardson. After playing out the year, he decided to cut his losses, and promptly packed his bags and headed for Tasmania, where he linked up with TFL newcomers New Town. In 1923 and 1924 he served as coach of the side before coaching Burnie in 1925 in his last season of senior football.

One of Bill Mayman's proudest moments in football occurred in 1923 when he skippered a TFL combination to a famous victory over a South Australian second string 18 on the Adelaide Oval. The following season saw him selected as skipper of Tasmania's Hobart carnival side, thereby procuring the unique record alluded to above. Under Mayman's captaincy, Tasmania enjoyed a satisfactory carnival, thrashing New South Wales and Queensland, and performing creditably against the major states.

In all, Bill Mayman is said to have made a total of 315 senior appearances during his career, a quite incredible total for the time. He also played 28 interstate games, and was a member of three premiership sides.

Author - John Devaney