BIO

Wartime competition 1942-1944
Norwood-North games: 3
Norwood-North goals: 0

An item in The News 27 March 1941 read ” Norwood will have to fill many vacancies in their team for the coming season. Ten regular players from last season are now with the fighting forces.” Ernest Lawrence was part of that necessary recruitment drive. He was recruited from the Payneham Football Club where he played as a ruckman/forward.

In the pre-season trials he was tried as a centre half back and,” Impressed as a very sound player.” (The News 19 April 1941).
Lawrence was chosen as a ruckman/back pocket in the season’s opener against South Adelaide. The Redlegs won by 25 points and Ernest (known as Rex to team mates) was named among the side’s best.

He maintained this role until mid- June when in a match against South he sustained a leg injury which was to keep him out of the side for a number of weeks.

Rex returned in time for the final series. This time he was chosen on a half back plank and as such was part of Norwood’s 1941 Premiership side when they defeated Sturt by 29 points.

The following year saw the introduction of the wartime competition. Ernest Lawrence  managed three games with Norwood-North when like so many others of his era his career ended with his enlistment in the armed forces.

B Ridge Aug 2015