BIO

Sydney Alfred Pool was born at Glenelg on 16 July 1903 to parents Emily Jane Wills and George Nicholas Pool and made his Norwood league debut at  Adelaide Oval against South Adelaide on 8 June 1925.

Sydney was the maternal uncle of Norwood players Mervyn Keenihan (1956-60, 47 games, 4 goals) and Trevor Keenihan* who played under-age and Reserve grade at the club in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. 

Sydney played two league games for Norwood but was a solid B Grade player in 1925 after transferring with Alik Lill from the Marryatville club. He was described as "… probably the highest mark in B Grade, although on the light side. He has the heart of a lion and never knows when he is defeated".

His 1925 season was rewarded when he was named in SAFL B Grade representative teams that toured country Victoria, playing matches against Dimboola, Murtoa and Knill with Norwood team-mates H. Etheridge and L. Martin, and in August he played against a representative Yorke Peninsula team on the Adelaide Oval.

At season’s end when the B Grade Magarey Medal votes were cast Sydney tied for the award with S. Monten of West Torrens and H. O’Brien of Sturt only to lose on a countback to Monten. 

 Sydney Pool, the centre half-back of the Norwood B Grade team, died on 20 April 1926 at the Royal Adelaide Hospital after being admitted four weeks earlier suffering with tubercular meningitis. The News on Wednesday 21 April, 1926 reported "… Pool had been in ill health that prevented his name being placed before the Norwood senior selectors when they were choosing the 25 to continue training with the red-and-blues during 1926 … his funeral was attended by club secretary Thomas Seymour Hill, league players Walter Scott, Roy Bent, and other players, Norwood B by Mr. C. Rowe  and  players, and East Torrens Cricket Club by officials and players … A gloom was cast over Norwood training  when it became known that ‘Dadda’ as Pool was known amongst his clubmates had passed away … he played clean and lived clean and Norwood is the poorer by his death. The deepest sympathy of the club goes to his relatives, concluded Mr Hill".

* Trevor contacted the club in 2018 with the hope of finding more information about his uncle’s Norwood career as the family believed Sydney had ‘died while playing football’.  Trevor Keenihan’s granddaughter Elora Keenihan trained with Norwood’s under 17 women’s team in 2019.

M Coligan Jan 2019