Mark Henry "Napper" Tandy (3 September 1892 – 19 May 1965) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League in the early 20th century.[1]

Mark Tandy
Personal information
Full name Mark Henry Tandy
Date of birth (1892-09-03)3 September 1892
Place of birth Newport, Victoria
Date of death 19 May 1965(1965-05-19) (aged 72)
Place of death South Melbourne, Victoria
Original team(s) Yarraville (VJFA)
Height 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 70 kg (154 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1911–1926 South Melbourne 207 (47)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1926.
Career highlights
  • South Melbourne captain 1922
  • South Melbourne premiership 1918
  • South Melbourne/Sydney Swans Team of the Century
  • Victorian representative (13 matches, 8 goals)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

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The son of Henry Thomas Tandy, and Catherine Lucy Tandy (1860–1945), née Williams,[2][3] Mark Henry Tandy was born in Newport, Victoria on 3 September 1892.

He married Lily Ford in 1917.

Football

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His quiet and easy-going nature led to Roy Cazaly calling him "Napper" – "the inglorious nickname "Napper" ... apparently arose because of his alleged propensity for "switching off" during games" (John Devaney, Full Points Footy Publications).[4]

A supremely accomplished rover/wingman who, along with Roy Cazaly, tore the heart out of the opposition. Playing as a wingman early in his career, he brought South Melbourne their second premiership in the 1918 Grand Final. With South trailing by a point, Tandy made an inspired run down the wing to deliver the ball into the forward lines where Laird kicked the winning goal.[5]

Team of the Century

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On 8 August 2003, he was selected as an interchange in the Sydney Swans "Team of the Century".

Hall of Fame

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One of the initial 136 inductees, Tandy was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Holmesby & Main (2014), p.567.
  2. ^ Deaths: Tandy, The Age, (Wednesday, 21 March 1945), p.6.
  3. ^ Mother of Ex-League Champion Dies: Mrs. T. Tandy, of Yarraville, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 24 March 1945), p.3.
  4. ^ While the nickname "Napper" may well have been bestowed upon him because of his propensity for "switching off", it's most likely that the connection between "Napper" and "Tandy" was already strongly suggested by the earlier James Napper Tandy, in the same way that Carlton's Fred Elliott's nickname of "Pompey" was suggested by Major General Harold Edward "Pompey" Elliott, etc.
  5. ^ Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 123. ISBN 0-7322-6426-X.

References

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  • Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: Every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Bas Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  • Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0
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