Seven men of Yeoman have played in Victoria at the highest level. Four of them were Tasmanians and three came to the Club from Victoria as Coach. Two of the Tasmanians were from Elliott - Jack Gale and Kevin Flint.
(Click on name for player's Wikipedia article).
Jack Gale
Jack had 3 games with Richmond in 1924 before suffering a hip injury. He was back at Yeoman in 1925 and coached from 1926. Add the 440 AFL games played by his grandsons, Brendon and Michael, and there you have a record for a Tasmanian family.
Kevin Flint
Kevin kicked 180 goals for Yeoman in 1951, aged 18. His first Magpies match was with the Seconds - he impressed with 6 goals. Soon, he was promoted, kicking 2 of Collingwood’s 6 goals in his first match. A bad ankle injury kept him to just 4 games in two years. He was Captain-Coach of Osborne in the Riverina in 1954 and 1955. He lived out his life on the Mainland.
Harold Kennedy (Joey) Littler
Joey was born in Launceston. He played 10 games for South Melbourne in 1903. He coached Mersey from 1904 to 1907, then returned to Launceston. He was vice-captain of the Tasmanian side in the 1908 Carnival in Melbourne. He first played for Yeoman in 1923, when he was appointed captain at the age of 42.
John Emin
From a Burnie family, John had a distinguished career in Tasmania and had 3 games with Essendon in 1973. John coached Yeoman in 1987 and 1988 and then Natone to a flag in 1989, 10 years after his premiership success with Wynyard.
Norman Lugg
Norman was the first of the mainlanders to coach Yeoman. He had played 27 games for South Melbourne and 12 for Fitzroy. In 1922, he coached Frankston to a flag. In 1924, Yeoman appointed Norm as its first-ever paid coach.
Arthur Sleith
Arthur had 5 games for Carlton in 1942 and 1943. War service in the RAAF ended his VFL career. He coached Yeoman in 1947 and 1948, with a Grand Final appearance in 1947 the highlight.
Frank Hanna
Frank began with Melbourne in 1947, playing a total of 30 games. Some ex-RAAF mates got him to Yeoman as Coach in 1950. When Yeoman lost its place in the N.W.F.U., Frank coached Burnie and, later, his new home town, Ridgley.
The Club has also had the services of a number of other men who could have played at the top level if they had so desired or, as in the case of Don Gale, if they had been allowed - eg Dale Flint, Len Hayes, Athol and Max Shephard. The names of the Club’s champion players up to 2008 can be seen on two Honour Boards in the Clubrooms - "The Top 40 of the Elliott Era" and "Champion Team of the Les Clarke Oval Era".
