Australian Football

After shining in country football with Eaglehawk and Castlemaine Foundry Tom Wraith was cleared to Collingwood in 1916, and quickly carved out a niche for himself in the Magpies’ powerful forward line structure. A dynamic and clever footballer, he was an accurate left foot kick, and the consummate team player. That said, there was sometimes a sense in which he was seen as playing second fiddle to one of the game’s bona fide superstars, Dick Lee. A case in point was the 1917 challenge final clash with Fitzroy when Wraith, despite having been among Collingwood’s best players in the previous week’s final loss to the Maroons, was dropped to make way for Lee who was available again after injury (although there was considerable doubt as to his level of fitness).

Wraith did get to play in a premiership-deciding match in 1918 but could not prevent a five point loss to South Melbourne.

In 1921, after 60 VFL games and 88 goals in a Magpie jumper, he crossed to VFA club Northcote where he played out the last couple of seasons of his career without really enhancing his reputation.

Author - John Devaney