Australian Football

A competent forward who re-invented himself as a champion full back, Jack Vosti was sometimes referred to as 'the tall musician' because of his elegant, stylish, indeed almost delicate approach to the game. He commenced his senior career with Brunswick in the VFA in 1924, and after just one season crossed to the VFL with Essendon.

Sadly for Vosti, this meant that he missed probably his best chance of playing in a premiership team, as in 1925 the Magpies would win their second VFA flag, while the Dons were about to embark on an unprecedentedly sustained period of mediocrity. Not that Vosti himself was a mediocre performer, especially after being shifted to full back in 1928.

Prior to that, playing mainly as a full forward, Vosti had topped Essendon's goal kicking list with 35 goals in 1927. As a full back he possessed all the necessary attributes: pace, aerial prowess, and first rate kicking ability. He ran second in the Dons' best and fairest voting in 1929, and might have been expected to improve still further had he not sustained a serious knee injury the following year.

Vosti played state football for the VFL as a forward in 1927, and as a full back in each of the three succeeding seasons. When he resumed playing after his knee injury he did so with a penny taped under his knee bandage to keep his cartilage in place, but although he still exhibited plenty of composure and native football intelligence, much of the old pace had gone.

In 1933, after 99 VFL games and 80 goals with Essendon, Vosti crossed to Footscray where he added a further 26 games in two seasons. In 1935 he was back with the Dons, but managed only a couple more games before his knee problems became intolerable, and he retired.

Author - John Devaney