Herbie Matthews

Who was Herbie Matthews?

Herbie Matthews was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League. He was recruited to South Melbourne from suburban club Fairfield under the VFL's father–son rule. His father, "Butcher" Matthews, partnered the great Roy Cazaly in South Melbourne's ruck combination of the early 1920s. Although he was smaller and slighter in build than his ruckman father, he was a strong mark and showed a ferocious drive for possession of the football. He was recruited by South Melbourne at the age of 17 in the face of determined approaches from Collingwood and his local Victorian Football Association club, Northcote.

A centreman and wingman with great pace, stamina and skills, he was awarded the Brownlow Medal in 1940 and was runner-up on another two occasions. He won his club's best and fairest award five times and captained them from 1938 until 1945.

In 1997 Matthews was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame and in 2003 was named on the wing in South Melbourne's official Team of the Century.