Len Toyne

Who is Len Toyne?

Leonard Harris "Barrow Boy" Toyne was an Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong, Fitzroy and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League during the 1940s.

Toyne, from Terang, made his way into the Geelong seniors for the first time in 1940 after serving his apprenticeship in the reserves. He spent the 1942 season at Fitzroy, as Geelong were forced into recess as a result of the war, but was out of action for the next two years due to his service with the Australian Imperial Force. Returning to Geelong in 1945, Toyne finished third in the club's 'best and fairest'.

After getting married, Toyne moved to Sandringham in 1946 to live and work. Geelong granted him a clearance which allowed him to be appointed captain-coach of the Sandringham Football Club. The club had finished 11th the previous VFA season and had never reached the finals but Toyne steered them to a seven point Grand Final win over Camberwell. Sandringham were runners-up in 1947 but struggled the following season, with Toyne getting suspended for three matches during the year after an altercation. Five rounds into the 1949 season, Toyne resigned, citing that he was being victimised by the umpires.