Charlie Ricketts

1906-1912
82 games
47 goals
Captain-Coach 1909, 1912
Premiership Captain-Coach 1909

Bio 

Regarded as one of the most influential captains of his era, Charlie Ricketts left a lasting impression on the South Melbourne Football Club. Originally from Geelong, he started playing with the junior club Geelong West before moving to Melbourne in 1903, joining Richmond, who were playing in the VFA.

In 1905, Ricketts was chosen to represent the VFA twice, and the clever rover kicked two goals from the Tigers midfield as they claimed their second flag, defeating North Melbourne in the Grand Final. After the celebrations, Ricketts joined South Melbourne to test himself at the game’s highest level.

Speculation arose before his debut match in red and white, suggesting Ricketts was injured and would not take his place in the side. The rumours prompted Ricketts to telegram the club, telling officials he was indeed fit and well, and looking forward to the opening match of the 1906 season.

Quickly becoming one of the league’s most accomplished rovers, Ricketts displayed impeccable ball use and was among the most highly skilled in the competition. Under the leadership of new captain, Bill Dolphin, the Southerners performed strongly throughout the year. After one late-season victory against Melbourne, the illustrated magazine Punch reported, “South played pretty football; their passing and combination greatly improved.”

That excellent form carried them to the 1907 Grand Final, where South faced Carlton. Interest in the game was so high that former Test cricketer and South supporter Harry Boyle checked himself out of hospital to attend. According to The Argus, “Special trains were run from Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, and other centres, and, as very few club tickets would be unused on such a day, the crowd could not have numbered less than 45,000.”

As first-rover, Ricketts featured prominently in the early exchanges, combining well with the heftier Vic Belcher and Jim ‘Joker’ Cameron. South lost by just five points in a see-sawing tussle, with Ricketts named one of the team’s best. After the match, Dolphin told The Argus, “At the end of the game, they were five points ahead of us, but I still think ours is the better team. Better luck next time. The only trouble is that we will have to wait a year for that next time.”

However, as Scottish poet Robert Burns once said, the best-laid plans often go awry. A late-season injury to Ricketts curtailed South’s 1908 premiership push, and they missed the finals after losing the last match of the home-and-away season to Collingwood. In The Australasian, football writer ‘Markwell’ said had it not been for injury, Ricketts would have been his ‘finest player of the year’.

Ahead of the 1909 season, South Melbourne appointed Ricketts as its first official senior coach. In reality, though, he would have assumed coaching duties as the newly elected captain anyway. In any case, it proved a masterstroke, as his tactical nous added a layer of unpredictability to their play.

Ricketts later outlined his belief that traditional training methods stifled enthusiasm. “I took my players for a jaunt to the seaside and selected a nice patch of sand. They played in the heavy going until tired, and then had a turn on the hard sand near the water’s edge, which was sufficient rest for tired muscles.”

“I consider this mode of training more beneficial than chasing a ball around the arena on training nights. Work in the sand hardened the leg muscles without imposing on them the strain of continual ball-kicking, and all were mentally more alert for the change of routine,” Ricketts wrote in The Sporting Globe.

His methods helped the team play a fast, cohesive, and, at times, spectacular brand of football that led them to the 1909 Grand Final against triple-premiers Carlton. In the lead-up to the match, Ricketts told The Herald, “Carlton is a terribly good team. With a bit of luck, I think we’ll win on Saturday.”

The match, played on a fine, mild Melbourne afternoon, remained deadlocked at quarter and half-time. Ricketts goaled in the second quarter, and when he combined with Belcher, Cameron and star forward Len Mortimer to take the ball the length of the field untouched, Alf Gough goaled for South to take the lead.

Despite a frantic final term, South held on for a two-point victory. The tactical switch made by Ricketts since the Southerners’ loss to Carlton the week before was hailed as football genius. South played a faster, more open running game that proved too much for its opposition.

In The Australasian, ‘Markwell’ said, “Consummate skill in leadership on the field belongs to few men. It would, perhaps, be an exaggeration to say that captain Ricketts is the possessor of such skill.” South supporters lauded their leader, with one fan writing to The Record’s editor, claiming Ricketts deserved a testimonial after delivering such success.

The premiership broke a 19-year drought, and The Record captured the mood of the vast celebrations. “During Saturday night, Clarendon Street rang with shouts of joy, and the Golden Gate Hotel was surrounded by crowds who cheered the club and president Mr. Skinner.”

“Owners of red and white flags displayed their colours in all parts of the city. Notwithstanding that the joy of the people was nearly complete, the police did not find it necessary to lodge one bibulous barracker in the lockup.”

Ricketts ruled himself out of the captaincy vote in 1910 due to a severe health complaint. In his place, Bill ‘Sonna’ Thomas led South to a third-place finish. In 1911, Ricketts returned to play seven matches under Thomas, with a semi-final loss to Collingwood resigning them to third again.

Excitement surrounded the re-appointment of Ricketts as captain-coach ahead of the 1912 VFL season. On the eve of Round 1, The Argus said, “A very brainy player is Charles Ricketts, who is head of the South Melbourne team. He is very quiet in his demeanour. He does not shout instructions to his men. Ricketts, with a smile always hovering over his face, will give his brother captains many difficult points to ponder over this season.”

He again led his team to the Grand Final, but the year ended in disappointment, with South turning in an uncharacteristically listless display. Sadly, the runners-up finish would be Ricketts’ last on-field contribution to the red and white cause. After being surprisingly overlooked for South’s captaincy in 1913, he returned to Richmond.

As captain-coach of the Tigers, and coach of St Kilda, Ricketts’ strategic influence spread across the league for a further six seasons. He would never lose his connection to South, though, returning to the Lake Oval as a selection committee member in 1944. Ricketts also regularly attended Swans past players’ functions and in 1954, was part of a group that founded the club’s past players association. In 1960, Ricketts passed away in Middle Park at the age of 74.

A quick, composed player, Ricketts won admirers throughout the game for his judgment, skill and leadership. At the 1910 South Melbourne annual meeting, club president Mr Henry Skinner said, “Charlie Ricketts is as good a player, and as good a captain, as there is anywhere, and I defy anyone to say different.”

And the crowd cheered their champion.