Hedley Tomkins

Who was Hedley Tomkins?

Hedley Whiteway Tomkins was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League.

Tomkins played his early football with Metropolitan Junior Football Association side Leopold, from where he made his way to Fitzroy in 1904. After making just four appearances, the rover was rejected by Fitzroy, deemed to be too small. He would, however, prove a good player for his new club, Melbourne.

His first stint with Melbourne was in the 1906 VFL season and he kicked three goals in his debut, the first of five games he played that year. Over the next three years he played for Preston in the Victorian Football Association. He then returned to Melbourne and was a regular fixture in the side for four seasons, missing only six games during this time. His roving was good enough to earn him a spot in the VFL representative team which competed against South Australia in 1913.

Tomkins, who worked as a travelling salesman, transferred East Perth in 1913. He played 30 games for the club and in 1914 represented Western Australia five times at the 1914 Sydney Carnival, where he won a medal for the "Best stab passing".