Iconic Brownlow Medal to be auctioned in Melbourne

The 1981 Brownlow Medal (lot 264) belonging to foundation captain of the Australian Football League’s team the Sydney Swans, the late Barry Round (1950-2022), will be auctioned on Thursday September 18 through Melbourne-based Leski Auctions as part of its sporting memorabilia auction from 10am at 727-729 High Street, Armadale.

The auction also features inaugural AFL chairman and CEO and former St Kilda player Ross Oakley’s football collection.

Round, who played 328 games during his VFL/AFL career for Footscray and South Melbourne/Sydney from 1969 to 1985, won his Brownlow Medal the same year as Fitzroy forward Bernie Quinlan, affectionately known as Super Boot, with both players tied in the voting and receiving the award.

Round also won the 1987 J.J. Liston Trophy Best and Fairest for the Victorian Football Association (lot 296) – one of only three players to win both awards – and the 1990 Norm Goss medal for best player in a VFA Grand Final (lot 310).

Many other football memorabilia items are featured among his auction collection.

Oakley began in 1962 with St Kilda and scored 38 goals in 62 games. His Victorian Football League career was cut short at 24 by knee injuries, missing out on both the 1965 and 1966 Grand Finals, which to date remains the club’s only premiership flag.

Appointed chairman and CEO of the troubled VFL in 1986, Oakley transformed the state code to the national Australian Football League competition with the inclusion of five new clubs from outside Victoria – Brisbane and the West Coast Eagles in 1986, Adelaide 1990, Fremantle 1994 and Port Adelaide 1996.

In 1993, Oakley oversaw the transfer of administrative control from the clubs (via the AFL Board of Directors) to the AFL Commission – and in 2009 was inducted to the Australian Football Hall of Fame as an administrator.

Some of Oakley’s items for auction include his 1966 playing jumper with the number 12 featured (lot 351) and, according to Leski Auctions director Charles Leski, it could be unique.

“We have not seen any other 1966 St Kilda football jumpers from their Grand Final triumph at auction,” he said.

Many date from his days as AFL chairman and CEO including a framed original pen and ink caricature of him triumphantly towering over a crowded MCG with the AFL logo over his right shoulder (lot 373) and an archive of material from his administrative career (lot 402) including photographs, speeches letters, business cards and newspaper clippings.

Other items relate to the 1996 AFL Centenary such as those featured in lot 391 including the Centenary ball program and commemorative booklet along with his retirement images and caricature (lots 382 and 398).

The auction also features former Australian Test player Norm O’Neill’s 1961 baggy green cap (lot 163). O’Neill (1937-2008) played 42 Tests for Australia between 1958 and 1965, scoring 2779 runs at an average of 45.55.

The complete Sydney 2000 Olympic torch relay kit (lot 793) – including torch, relay clothing and various photographs and plaques – belonging to the late Maltese-born Queenslander Paul Michael Lapira is the first such kit to ever be auctioned.