Ossie Grose kicks a goal for NSW against Tasmania at the 1947 ANFC Carnival in Hobart (Photo restoration by Peter Vasic - Pastcolours)
By Rod Gillett
“It was the highlight of my life in football to play with him.”
Johnny Lewis, the trainer of Australia’s world boxing champions, Jeff Fenech and Jeff Harding, was a team-mate of John “Ossie” Grose at Newtown in the 1950s told me this over the phone from his home in Erskineville.
“He was a Wizard. He was a little livewire. As a young fella I was so honoured to play with him”, Johnny added.
Johnny told me the story of how at the national carnival in Hobart in 1947 the players arrived at the official reception and the doorman and told them that they could all come in except for Grose. With this Australian Test cricket all-rounder and NSW star defender Keith Miller proclaimed, “Well, if “Ossie” can’t come in none of us are!”. The players returned to the team hotel for drinks to celebrate the victory that day over the ACT.
Miller, a Boys’ Own Hero, had been a WWII fighter pilot, St Kilda and Victorian representative footballer, and at the time was the star all-rounder for Australia. A man-about-town Miller was very much in demand publicly but on this occasion he shunned the limelight to stick up for his team-mate such was his high regard for “Ossie”.
In later years Keith Miller was the inaugural Chair of the NSW AFL Commission.
John “Ossie” Grose came to Sydney from Kempsey during WWII with his family and settled in Erskineville; he had not previously played Australian football.
However, his speed, skills and courage enabled him to quickly adapt to the Australian game and he became one of NSW’s greatest-ever players.
He gained first grade selection with Newtown after one season in the Under 18s.
A diminutive 5’2” (1.57m) rover, “Ossie” became a key player in the Blood-Stained Angels premiership team of 1942 going on to play in another three premierships for Newtown between 1945-47 when the club dominated the Sydney competition.
He was described in the Sydney Football Record for the 1947 grand final as “Newtown’s classy rover. Intelligence and unselfishness are the key notes of his play”.
“Ossie” played over 300 games for the Newtown club in his career and represented NSW on twelve occasions including the 1947 ANFC Carnival in Hobart and the 1950 carnival in Brisbane. He often featured in the best players and was a renowned goal-sneak.
He made his debut for NSW against Queensland at Trumper Park in 1947 and was named one of the best players and kicking 3 goals in the 17.13.115 to 15.17.107 victory.
In the return match played at Brisbane’s Exhibition Grounds “Ossie” Grose was again named in the best players and booted 3 goals.
These outstanding performances earned him a berth to Tasmania for the 1947 ANFC national carnival in Hobart under coach Frank Dixon. He stood out in matches against Tasmania and South Australia which NSW lost to superior opponents as well as in the wins over Canberra and Queensland.
In 1948 he was recruited by the Leeton in the Riverina as a contract player. The following year he became the club’s captain and coach.
The Leeton newspaper was effusive about his appointment: “Grose is known in every State in Australia as one of the most dashing players in the code. Since entering first grade, he has never failed to make the State side. Last season he was in the Carnival side at Hobart. On the field he is a personality. Cool and deliberate in his work, he is a menace at all times to the opposition. A great tactician, he is also a brilliant positional player entirely unselfish. While spelling off the ball he is a dangerous pocket forward. At Broken Hill last season, he was the idol of the crowd and at at a civic dinner he was named as the uncrowned King of Broken Hill.” (Murrumbidgee Irrigator 23 April 1948).
“Ossie” returned to Newtown in 1950 to play in the team that won the premiership for the sixth successive season. His profile in the 1950 Sydney Football Record for the grand final stated, “Newtown’s classy rover, without doubt he has proved himself one of the best rovers in the State”.
He was selected for the 1950 national carnival in Brisbane and was again prominent in the best players in the win over Queensland at the Gabba and kicked 3 goals in a loss to Tasmania.
Johnny told me that in addition to being a champion footballer “Ossie”” was a natural sportsman who also played rugby league, soccer, golfer off-scratch and also had a few boxing bouts.
He fondly remembers “Ossie” being the life of the party after Newton games in the rooms at Erko Oval and leading the sing-alongs, “He had time for us all.”