Bob Pratt

Harold Robert "Bob" Pratt (31 August 1912 – 6 January 2001) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).

The son of Harold Robert Pratt and Olive Pratt (née Fosbrook), Pratt was born in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Brunswick West on 31 August 1912.

He grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham, and was known as "Bob" to avoid confusion with his father.

Playing as a junior for local club Mitcham, Pratt attracted the attention of rival VFL clubs South Melbourne and.

Whilst Hawthorn lost interest after a poor performance by Pratt in a match, South Melbourne signed him following a recommendation from the Mitcham coach.

His tally broke the previous record for goals scored in a season by a South Melbourne player, held by Ted Johnson, who kicked 60 goals in each of the 1924, 1925 and 1928 seasons.

Recruited from Mitcham, Pratt played his first game for the South Melbourne seconds against Hawthorn on 15 June 1929.

He was one of the best on the ground in a team that won 15.16 (106) to 4.9 (33), scoring four goals.

Pratt played in the forward pocket for the seconds in the 1929 first semi-final against, and was one of the best players for South Melbourne.

He was replaced in the team for the preliminary final match against by Jack Richardson, most likely because Richardson had played 10 senior matches that year, rather than due to any disappointment in Pratt's performance (it was the prevailing wisdom that it was always better to play experienced senior players in seconds finals matches); Geelong won the match.

Pratt's senior VFL career began in the first round of the 1930 season, when—aged 17 years, 245 days—he played at centre half-forward for South Melbourne against Melbourne at South Melbourne's home ground, Lake Oval.

Although South lost the match by 25 points, Pratt kicked four goals, and was considered to be his side's best player on the day.

He played the entire season of 18 home-and-away matches, kicking 43 goals for the season—his best score was five goals in round 10 against Fitzroy—and was second on South Melbourne's goalkicking list to full-forward Austin Robertson.

Pratt was thus considered to have "immense promise".

Still playing at centre half-forward, Pratt played 15 games and kicked 23 goals, becoming the equal third highest goalkicker for South.

Leading VFL footballer turned journalist Wallace Sharland complimented Pratt on his pace, stating that he had plenty of "toe".

South Melbourne finished seventh with nine wins from eighteen matches.

Known for spectacular diving and high-flying marks, Pratt topped South Melbourne's goalkicking for the first time in 1932 with 71 goals and for the next three seasons passed 100 goals.

South Melbourne selected Roy Selleck, a recruit from Springvale, at full-forward, and selected Pratt at centre half-forward for the opening match of the 1932 season.

Selleck was not a success (in fact, he only played three senior VFL games), and he was moved to the forward flank for the second match, while Pratt was moved to full-forward for the first time.

In his first game as full-forward, Pratt kicked seven goals and one behind.

Pratt topped South Melbourne's goalkicking for the first time in 1932 with 71 goals, 50 of them coming by round nine.

On 2 July 1932, in the round nine match against Fitzroy, playing at full-forward, Pratt kicked seven goals in a more accurate South Melbourne's 12.10 (82) win over Fitzroy 10.15 (75).

The Argus noted that "Pratt was keen and accurate [up] forward", whilst The Age remarked on Pratt's "extraordinary marking and kicking".

After the match, Pratt was reported by goal umpire Greenwood and boundary umpire Treloar for striking Fitzroy's back-pocket Frank Curcio in the back, near the right kidney, in the third quarter.

At the VFL tribunal hearing on Thursday, 7 July 1932, the charge against Pratt was not sustained, as Curcio said that he had no recollection of having been struck.

This was the only occasion that Pratt was reported in his entire VFL career.

South Melbourne underwent a massive recruiting drive prior to the 1933 VFL season, recruiting Laurie Nash and Frank Davies from Tasmania, Wilbur Harris and Ossie Bertram from South Australia and Western Australians Joe O'Meara and John Bowe.

After a slow start, the team melded well together to win the 1933 premiership.

Pratt, who kicked 109 goals for the season from eighteen matches, was "idolised by all South fans ... (who) flocked to the Lake Oval and other grounds to see him in action."

Pratt kicked three goals in the grand final to overtake Gordon Coventry as the VFL's leading goalkicker for the season (however, the medal was presented based on regular season tallies only).

Pratt had a disrupted pre-season, barely training and playing only one practice match, yet he kicked eight goals in the first round against Collingwood.

At the age of just 20, Pratt had already become a fan favourite at South Melbourne.

Local newspaper the South Melbourne Record wrote of his performances, "Nothing gave South fans greater delight than to see Pratt soaring above the packs. The fruits of victory would not taste so sweet if Pratt failed to reap a bag of half a dozen majors."

On 19 May, in the round 3 match against at Lake Oval, Pratt set a new club record for the most goals kicked in a game by an individual player, registering 15 goals and three behinds in a 42-point win.

His total of 150 goals in 1934 was a VFL/AFL record which stood alone until Peter Hudson equalled it in 1971.

Pratt also kicked ten or more goals in a game eight times, including 15 goals in a single game.

His son, Bob Pratt Jr.., also played for South Melbourne.

Eight of those goals came in a ten-minute spell, a club record only broken since by Tony Lockett in 1995 (kicking 16.0).

Considered "arguably the best full-forward in the history of Australian rules", Pratt was one of the inaugural Legends inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.