After dominating the GVFL in the 1930s, Rushworth Tigers really struggled to regain momentum
after WW2. The team was a cellar-dweller for the 10 years from 1946-55 before its fortunes
were revived by one of the best captain-coaches to ever don the black and yellow in the club’s
125 year history.
Con O’Toole was fortuitously posted to Rushy as a policeman, just at the time when the footy
club had lost its 1954 coach Jack Roberts to Lemnos. What a godsend! As a young man, Con
had played two seasons with Melbourne (for 4 senior games, a reserves premiership in 1949 and
a reserves club B&F in 1950). He then returned to his home town of Ultima (near Swan Hill),
coaching them for three years. So in 1955, Rushworth gained a great player, in his prime at 26,
who also had coaching experience. Con won the Morrison Medal in his first season in the GVFL.
Although the team still struggled that year, Con helped to put plans in place for the club’s rise up
the ladder, which commenced in 1956.
Improved on-field performances coincided with the ability of GVFL clubs to employ “ex-radius”
players i.e. players from outside the local area. This was a double-edged sword. It brought some
great players to the Tigers, with the standout being 1957 Morrison Medallist and ruckman Lindsay
Turnbull.
The negative was that the money issue really came into the game in a big way for the first time.
There were plenty of journeymen footballers who would stick around for a year or two, then move
on to another club or league where they could secure higher pay. The pressure mounted on the
club volunteers to raise the funds to pay these players. It was irksome when the unpaid locals
tried harder and were often better players than some of the imports.
Nevertheless, under Con O’Toole’s inspirational leadership, the Tigers improved to the point
where they were much more competitive. This trend continued into the early 1960s, after another
club legend in Howard Hawking had taken over as coach. Howard spent three years at Geelong
from 1954-6, where he played 11 senior games and 40 reserves games. He won the reserves club
B&F in 1955 and was third in the Gardiner Medal (VFL reserves B&F) in 1956. With two years
coaching experience at Coleraine, Howard then returned to Rushy, playing under Con O’Toole for
a year before succeeding him. Like Con, Howard took on the job with the perfect combination of
experience as a coach, great skills as a player and the respect of his peers. Howard was
captain-coach for five years to 1964. He continued as a player after the shift to the Heathcote &
District Football League, winning the league best & fairest and playing in the 1965 premiership.
In 1964, the Tigers had slumped to collect the wooden spoon, with only one win for the season.
There were serious issues with the ability of the club to compete at the GVFL level in the longer
term, including a severe shortage of players. After over 50 years in the competition, a big decision
had to be made.
