Originally from Swan Hill, he retired after one game at Melbourne and a disappointing stint at Collingwood, convinced that he was a failure as a footballer. He was boarding with a friend in Richmond, was talked into playing at Punt Road and he turned out to be a champion.

Scrupulously fair and a great dasher off the mark, he had great pace and strength and could pluck marks with ease. A tremendous mark on the half-back line he was one of Richmond's stars and became a regular selection in the state team. He was lame and virtually useless in the latter part of the 1919 Grand Final which had much to do with Richmond's loss, but he made up for it in the following two years when he was the Tigers' best player in both flag wins. It was fitting that he hurled himself above Carlton's Duncan to take a match saving mark in the dying moments of the 1921 Grand Final and give Richmond victory by four points.