Australian Football

Recruited from the Services,¹ follower Jack Lugg⁷ impressed enough in practice matches prior to the 1946 season to be selected as 19th man for South Melbourne's opening round encounter against Carlton. Replacing the injured Neville Stibbard (also making his league debut) late in the final quarter, Lugg's only recorded disposal wasn't a good one, described by The Age's Percy Beames as follows:

Magnificent defence by Matlock twice turned dangerous Carlton thrusts, and then profiting through a poor kick by Lugg, replacing Stibbard, Carlton stormed forward where Baxter, outmanoeuvring Roulent, goaled, and Carlton went ahead.²

The Blues went on to win by seven points, marking an inauspicious debut for Lugg, and found himself in South's seconds the following week. He was named as 20th man for the Swans' senior side for their match against Fitzroy in Round 17, but newspaper reports make no mention of him coming onto the ground at any stage. He was omitted the following week, and never made it back to the senior side. Jack Lugg's senior career is thus unfortunately notable only, at least in the VFL, for an errant kick that cost his side the lead late in a match.

Lugg was cleared to VFA side Port Melbourne in 1947, where he played in a back pocket in both the first and seconds, before moving on to Boundary Rovers, a Port Melbourne based team where he had played as a junior, in 1948,³ where he went on to become captain.⁴ Lugg moved to South Melbourne Districts in 1951 as playing coach,⁵ a role he held until the end of 1952.⁶

Author - Andrew Gigacz