Australian Football

Jack Julian joined St Kilda from Grosvenor as a 19-year-old and made his VFL debut, as a defender, in 1904. He went on to play virtually all of his football in the backlines, where he was tough, dogged and assured - not to mention somewhat fiery. Highly respected at the club, he spent part of the 1908 season as a replacement skipper for the injured Jack Wells. However, before the start of the following season he had joined a large scale exodus of top players dissatisfied with changes in the club's administration.

Crossing to perennially struggling VFA side Prahran, Julian helped the Two Blues mount the first legitimate premiership assault of their existence, but it was all to end in tears and turmoil. After topping the ladder, Prahran played third-placed Brunswick in a semi final, and lost by three goals. This was far from a disaster because, as minor premiers, the Two Blues enjoyed the right of challenge. However, the club's committee were absolutely irate, and at training on the following Wednesday four senior players - one of whom was Julian - were hauled over the coals before being told that their services were no longer required. Quite what the players were accused of was never made public, but during this period incidents of this nature usually centred on allegations of match fixing, or of players 'playing dead'. Whatever the truth of the matter, Jack Julian's top level football career was over. He had played 67 VFL games for St Kilda, and just a handful in the VFA with Prahran.

Author - John Devaney