SA Footy

I received news this afternoon that my boyhood hero Ian Brewer has passed away. To me, Ian was more than a talented goalkicker who served the Norwood Football Club well, he was the player who captured my imagnation and led to my (so far) 45 year love affair with the Norwood Football Club.

For those who don't know, he played 84 games for Collingwood, kicking 164 goals. He played in their 1958 premiership team, a year in which he was VFL Top goalkicker. He went to Claremont (WAFL) where he played in their famous "Rags to Riches" premiership when they went from bottom to top in 1964. I was in the final 90 seconds of that match that Brewer kicked two goals, giving Claremont a 4 point win.

The following year he played at Norwood, booting 96 goals and winning the SANFL top goalkicking award. In 1966 he was top goalkicker with 76 goals, only to be topped by Eric Freeman (Port) in the finals.

From 1967 to 1969 he was captain coach of the Wangaratta Rovers in Victoria before making a brief return to Norwood in 1970. In all, he played 44 games, 179 goals for Norwood, as well as 36 goals in 6 Reserves games.

It's hard to believe my boyhood hero is gone. RIP Ian.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:I received news this afternoon that my boyhood hero Ian Brewer has passed away. To me, Ian was more than a talented goalkicker who served the Norwood Football Club well, he was the player who captured my imagnation and led to my (so far) 45 year love affair with the Norwood Football Club.

For those who don't know, he played 84 games for Collingwood, kicking 164 goals. He played in their 1958 premiership team, a year in which he was VFL Top goalkicker. He went to Claremont (WAFL) where he played in their famous "Rags to Riches" premiership when they went from bottom to top in 1964. I was in the final 90 seconds of that match that Brewer kicked two goals, giving Claremont a 4 point win.

The following year he played at Norwood, booting 96 goals and winning the SANFL top goalkicking award. In 1966 he was top goalkicker with 76 goals, only to be topped by Eric Freeman (Port) in the finals.

From 1967 to 1969 he was captain coach of the Wangaratta Rovers in Victoria before making a brief return to Norwood in 1970. In all, he played 44 games, 179 goals for Norwood, as well as 36 goals in 6 Reserves games.

It's hard to believe my boyhood hero is gone. RIP Ian.

I reckon that he kicked 10 goals at Prospect in 1965. If he didn't he seemed as though he did, he dominated the game. Of course I was only young, but my memories of him were that he had a very strong pair of hands and he used his body very well.
Posters too young to remember Ian, but now around 40 might remember his much younger brother Ross who played for Melbourne and Collingwood around 1980. In fact I reckon Ross kicked the winning goal in a final against Fitzroy in about 1981. They must have been 20 years apart, but their was no doubting tht they were brothers if you ever saw there facial features.

Yes, they were brothers. I always thought Ross was Ian's nephew, but I found out recently he was a much younger brother.

At Prospect in 1965, he kicked 7. As you say, he was a very strong mark, and a beautiful kick for goal. He booted 10 goals twice for Norwood, both at the Parade in 1965, once against Central, the other against Glenelg.

I was too young to remember Ian Brewer but he was obviously a wonderful player.

I'm told that the 1964 WANFL Grand Final between Claremont and East Fremantle in which Brewer played was characterized by a very high number of players with the Christian name Ian. If only I could find the team sheets to illustrate this!
Apart from Brewer, one of these was Ian 'Styx' Brayshaw, a renowned WA state cricketer and sports broadcaster and the father of James Brayshaw.

Ian Brewer
Born 15/06/1936
Played CO 1956-1961
84 games [CO won 51 lost 33]
Coleman medallist with 73 goals on 1958
1958 was a CO premiership season
Had a younger brother called Ross who played AFL as well

Did he play as a non full forward 1959-61 ?
1959...17 games...33 goals
1960 ..15 games...21 goals
1961...10 games....7 goals


Ross Brewer 14/08/1953 was Ians younger brother
Ross played for ML/CO/RI
Ross played in a losing CO grand final ????


Heres some trivia on Ian Brewer
He is the only person to have kicked the most goals in a season in 3 states ?
Collingwood 73 goals 1958
Claremont 55 goals in 1963
Norwood 96 goals 1965

If thats right, then Im tipping perhaps that may never be repeated again


1962 was a strange year
Ian couldnt make St Kildas team !!!
Had he made it at SK it could have changed the course of history
4 years later it might have been the 30 year old Brewer playing in that SK premiership

Ian played 44 games for the redlegs
Including 3 in 1970 of which I have no recollection of
Hawk how did he go in 1970 ?

I was at a game once when he played, Knew he played full forward, but cant remember Ian playing

R.I.P

mal wrote:Did he play as a non full forward 1959-61 ?

Heres some trivia on Ian Brewer
He is the only person to have kicked the most goals in a season in 3 states ?

Ian played 44 games for the redlegs
Including 3 in 1970 of which I have no recollection of
Hawk how did he go in 1970 ?

He actually played a lot of football at CHF for Collingwood, and I believe all of his time at Claremont. When he first came to Norwood in 1965 we played him at CHF for the first 3-4 games before slotting him at FF. He we moved him there earlier, maybe he would have kicked the 100.

Yes, he's the only player to top the goalkicking for three different clubs in the major three states.

In 1970, he returned from Wangaratta Rovers where he had been coaching, and playing at (believe it or not) CHB. Anyway, he was 34 years of age at the time. He played the first round against Port Adelaide at Norwood (Phil Carman's debut match), and kicked 3 at CHF. We had Michael Coligan at FF. Then he played the second game versus Sturt at Unley and struggled with 1 goal.

He was dropped to the Reserves for 2 matches until Coligan pulled out injured against West Torrens at Thebarton (John Wynne's debut). Brewer filled in at FF and kicked 3 and did a reasonable job. However, as Coligan returned to FF, and we had a new CHF in Wynne, Brewer lost his spot.

He played 4 more games with the Reserves and retired, having booted 36 goals in 6 games for the ressies, and 7 goals in 3 games for the seniors.

I wuz there Hawky, 1970 NW V PA

westozfalcon wrote:I was too young to remember Ian Brewer but he was obviously a wonderful player.

I'm told that the 1964 WANFL Grand Final between Claremont and East Fremantle in which Brewer played was characterized by a very high number of players with the Christian name Ian. If only I could find the team sheets to illustrate this!
Apart from Brewer, one of these was Ian 'Styx' Brayshaw, a renowned WA state cricketer and sports broadcaster and the father of James Brayshaw.

There were 4 players in the Claremont premiership team with the name Ian ... Brewer, Brayshaw, Fairbrass and Fisher. Another Claremont player at the time named Ian was Ian Aitken who become well known in SA as a footy broadcaster.

I can just remember him playing against Westies at the Parade. My memory is that he was a bit too strong and clever with his body for our full back, and had an imposing aura about him - certainly to a skinny little kid anyway. It's always surprisingly moving when you lose these sorts of landmarks from your childhood.
Great goals per game average at SANFL level too. One of the better ones I'd imagine.

Have the 1964 WANFL Grand Final on dvd. Great game by the Tiges. Always good to beat East Fremantle

what number did he wear at norwood?

stampy wrote:what number did he wear at norwood?

He wore 25 at Norwood in 1965 & 1966, and when he came back in 1970 he wore 22.