John McGregor “Snowy” HamiltonNorth Adelaide Player (1919-1921; 1931-1932) - 64 Games; Coach (1937-1938) – 34 Games
West Adelaide Player (1922) – 7 Games; Coach (1925) – 14 Games
Subiaco (WAFL) Player (1922-1924; 1926-1927; 1930) – 78 Games
John McGregor “Snowy” Hamilton is widely acclaimed as South Australia’s most skilful player between the wars. This despite never winning a magarey medal (or even a club best and fairest) and having played less than 75 club games in this state. In 1978 (46 years after he last pulled on his boots) Merv Agars named him alongside Walter Scott and Dan Moriarty as the greatest half back line that South Australia had produced to date(all of whom were stars in the 1920s). Dan Moriarty ( a triple magarey medallist) himself paid tribute to Hamilton (in 1946) by saying “He was the best player of my day, the most brilliant I have seen and there is no man in the game today as good as he was.” Remembering this comment was made in the age of Quinn and Hank that in itself is no small compliment.
His performance at the 1920 State Game where he dominated play has now passed into folklore. At the end of the game, which saw one of SA’s rare triumphs over the Vics on their home turf (by 7 points), the normally parochial Victorian crowd rushed the ground to carry Hamilton shoulder high to the SA change rooms. So thrilled had they been by his exhibition of skill.
He “debuted” in 1916 during World War One in the Patriotic Competition ,and starting off at Prospect made an immediate impact, before moving onto West Adelaide when Prospect withdrew in 1918. At the end of his first league season (1919) North played in an exhausting five finals (including two draws). Hamilton was named in North’s best in all five games, and capped this off at the end of the next season by being named in North’s top three players in their 1920 premiership win over Norwood. He was truly a ‘big game’ player. He also represented SA in 1921 carnival.
In 1922 Hamilton transferred from North Adelaide to West Adelaide where he played 7 games before leaving for Subiaco in the WAFL. He quickly gained a great reputation with his new club
taking out the club’s best and fairest award in his first two seasons there (1922, 1923) and captaining their first ever Premiership in 1924.
He also represented WA many times at state level including the 1924 and 1927 carnival series.
Returning to his home state he was a prominent figure in North’s assault on the 1931 premiership before being sadly injured in the first semi final (after booting 4 goals!) and missing the Grand Final. Five games into the 1932 season he was unfortunately injured again and retired as a player.
He stayed involved with North Adelaide for sometime and ended up coaching them in 1937 and 1938 in both years only just failing to get them into the finals
The following quote is from football historian John Devaney’s “Full Points Footy” website.
“In the opinion of many astute contemporary observers Jack Hamilton was not far short of being the greatest footballer ever. Perth journalist Harry Potter for instance rated Hamilton as better even than Haydn Bunton, calling him "the cleverest footballer.....a player of almost uncanny skills, cool and resourceful, whatever the situation." Unfortunately the lenses through which most people are compelled to view the history of football, tinted as they are ‘Big V blue' after years of unbridled revisionism and distortion, mean that assessments as ingenuous as Potter’s are unlikely ever to be accorded the credence or the prominence they deserve.”
On Hamilton’s death in 1949(aged 51) the great Tom Leahy stated “I have seen no greater footballer than “Snowy” Hamilton since I began playing in 1903.There have been outstanding half-backs in Australia, but none of them compare with him for speed, handling and agility.”
(NB: Snowy’s older brother - William Hamilton - also played one match at North in 1915 prior to enlisting for the Great War.)
Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:19 am
North historian may helped a lot there!
