Norman Desmond Martin (2 August 1913 – 7 December 1985) was an
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
er who played with
South Melbourne
South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...
and
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
(VFL).
Family
The youngest of 11 children born to Thomas Martin (1864–1937) and Ellen Martin (1867–1940), née Smith, Norman Desmond Martin was born in Sale, Victoria on 2 August 1913.
Des Martin married Ivy Jean Purdy on 27 December 1941.
Football
Sale
Having commenced playing in the local Sale competition in 1933, Des Martin soon won a place in the Sale team competing in the Gippsland Football Association.
Frankston
In 1936, Martin moved to Frankston where he made an immediate impression and ended the season scoring four goals in a one-point loss to the Naval Depot team in the (Preliminary) Final of the Peninsula League. He was a leading player throughout 1937 before he was sidelined with injury for the 1938 season. Martin trained with South Melbourne before the 1939 season but he did not make the final list and he returned to Frankston.
In October 1940 Martin enlisted to service in the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II but was subsequently discharged due to a physical defect with his leg.
South Melbourne
Martin returned to South Melbourne in 1941 and after playing well in the reserves he made his debut in the middle of the
1941 VFL season
The 1941 VFL season was the 45th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 26 April until 27 September, and comprised an ...
.
[AFL Tables: Des Martin]
/ref> A rover and half forward, he played nine games that year.
Martin enlisted for a second time in early 1942, this time in the Australian Army,[ He was made captain of the South Melbourne seconds team but made one more appearance in the senior team in round 11 of the 1942 VFL season.
]
Richmond
Des Martin crossed over to Richmond in the middle of the 1942 season and he played five games for them, his final appearance being as a reserve for Richmond in the 1942 VFL Grand Final, which they lost to Essendon.[
]
Murray Football League
Martin joined the Berrigan Football Club
The Berrigan Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Saints, is an Australian rules football and netball club playing in the Picola & District Football League. The club is based in the small town of Berrigan located in the Riverina district of Ne ...
as captain-coach when he returned from war service.[
He won the ]Murray Football League
The Murray Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League. The league covers a large area of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales from Shepparton in ...
's best and fairest award, the O'Dwyer Medal in 1946 and was runner up in 1948, when playing for Berrigan.
In 1947, Martin coached Minyip Football Club
References
External links
*
1913 births
1985 deaths
Richmond Football Club players
Sydney Swans players
Frankston Bombers players
Australian military personnel of World War II
Australian rules footballers from Sale, Victoria
Military personnel from Victoria (state)
20th-century Australian sportsmen
{{AFL-bio-1913-stub