Australian Football

Best remembered for being captain of West Torrens’ inaugural premiership team in 1924, Roy Brown was an accomplished centreman who was particularly admired for his general adeptness at ground level, and for his superb distribution by both hand and foot. In addition to captaining the blue and golds, he shared the coaching for a time with team mate Johnny Karney, and between them the pair encouraged a fast and flexible style of play in which the flick pass featured prominently. Following the banning of the flick pass in 1925, Torrens underwent a gradual decline as a league power, but Brown himself was quick to adapt to the new strictures.

Roy Brown joined West Torrens in 1921 and, over the ensuing seven seasons, went on to play 106 league games for the club. He won a best and fairest award in 1923, and was appointed captain the same year, a position he retained until he left the club for Glenelg at the end of the 1927 season. After Torrens refused him a clearance, Brown was forced to serve the Seasiders as non-playing coach in 1928, but he resumed his playing career briefly in 1929, adding a final 9 games to his overall tally. Brown left Glenelg at the end of the 1929 season, but he returned to the club as non-playing coach in 1938. In both 1928 and 1929 the black and golds had finished seventh, but in his second two season stint as coach the club finished dead set last twice.

It is as a player, however, that Roy Brown deserves to be best remembered. Intelligent, wily and creative, he was a regular choice for South Australia during the early 1920s, with his 7 interstate appearances including games at the 1924 Hobart carnival, when he was the team’s captain.

Author - John Devaney