BIO

Lester Ross joined Norwood in 1961 having spent one season with St Kilda in 1959 when he played in the opening ten rounds. He was then controversially dropped to the seconds causing him to walk out on the club and play in a Victorian Sunday league in 1960.

Ross joined the large contingent of Victorian, and in particular St Kilda journeymen, who had moved to Norwood after former Saints coach Alan Killigrew was appointed coach at the Parade in 1959.

Ross had an outstanding season in 1961, finishing third in the Magarey Medal and equal first in The News- Ampol Football trophy even though he had missed five games.

Killigrew once described Ross as “ the best bad looking footballer” he had seen, but in 1961 he was the state’s leading centreman, having had the better of local heroes, Geoff Motley, Bob Shearman and John Halbert. Variously described as an “ugly duckling” and “bumble- footed” Ross was an elusive player who could find space and weave his way through packs finding targets with passes that were not aways pretty, but were usually effective.

Ross played two seasons with Norwood before transferring to South Adelaide in 1963 where he played for five years and was a member of its 1964 premiership side. In 1968 he moved to Subiaco where he played one game before injuring his arm after smashing it through a window, thus ending a somewhat controversial football career.

Lester Ross had a brief, but often brilliant, time at Norwood and his two sons later joined the club with Lester Jnr playing 161 games, including the 1984 premiership and Jonathon 53 games.


W Heading March 2013