Australian Football

Lance Styles was a high leaping ruckman who was a deft palmer of the ball to his rovers. In 1970, at the age of 18, he was a member of the Tasmanian team which scored a famous victory over Western Australia at North Hobart Oval. Later that same season he helped his club, Scottsdale score an 18.16 to 14.15 grand final victory over Launceston. He went on to represent Tasmania at the 1972 Perth carnival, where his performances against the heavyweights of the three leading football states were sufficiently impressive to attract interest from Carlton. Styles went on to spend the 1973 and 1974 seasons with the Blues, but he played mainly reserves football, only appearing three times for the seniors.

The 1975 season found him at Subiaco, but he failed to settle, and after playing just eight matches he returned to Victoria, and threw in his lot with VFA second division outfit Waverley. His time with the Panthers vied with his stint at Scottsdale as the most noteworthy of his career and was highlighted by a Field Trophy win, for competition best and fairest, in 1978. He played more than 100 games for Waverley over seven seasons.

Author - John Devaney