BIO

Tom Green played in Norwood's first six premiership teams but was only 33 when he died agonisingly, in mysterious circumstances, two years before his younger brother, Albert (Alby), won the inaugural Magarey Medal in 1898.

Thomas William Green was born on the Darling River at Albemarle Station, NSW, on 16 June 1862 and through his brief life was a storekeeper at Medindee, a pioneer worker on silver claims at Broken Hill  and an Outback pastoralist.

A prominent member of the Norwood cricket and football clubs, he played 12 games in the NFC's first year, 1878, and was one of Norwood's nine representatives in the South Australian team which met Victoria in the inaugural intercolonial match at East Melbourne in 1879. In his first match on 18 May 1878 he was the youngest player at 15 year 11 months to represent the club at senior level. 

He retired from football after the 1883 season and was awarded club life membership in 1885.

His death on 13 April 1896 occurred after he was found in a distressed state in a Manly park. He was taken to hospital and before convulsions set in he was able to tell police he had been drugged at a hotel with which the Green family had had a long association. His watch was missing. At a subsequent inquest, it was revealed strychnine had been found in his stomach. An open verdict was returned. He was survived by his widow of about six years and two young children.

P Robins Aug 2014