Bob Chitty

Robert Main-Warring Chitty (4 July 1916 – 4 April 1985)[2] was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Bob Chitty
Personal information
Full name Robert Main-Warring Chitty[1]
Date of birth (1916-07-04)4 July 1916
Place of birth Cudgewa, Victoria
Date of death 4 April 1985(1985-04-04) (aged 68)
Original team(s) Cudgewa (UMFL)
Sunshine VSDL
Height 174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 86 kg (190 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1937–1946 Carlton 147 (32)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1946.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Chitty played much of his junior and amateur football for his home town of Cudgewa.

Leaving the country for the city, Chitty played for Sunshine in the Victorian Sub-Districts before being signed by Carlton. Chitty made his debut for the Carlton Football Club in Round 7 of the 1937 season. While a brilliant, versatile player, Chitty built his reputation as one of the game's most fearsome hardmen: "Some players manufacture aggression, others seem born to it; as far as Bob Chitty was concerned, aggression oozed out of his every pore."[3] Chitty captained Carlton to victory in the infamous 1945 "Bloodbath" Grand Final. Chitty's king hit of South Melbourne's Ron Clegg in the second quarter is seen as what triggered the succession of violent incidents that garnered the match its nickname. In the fourth quarter, Chitty was knocked out by opponent Laurie Nash. After the match, Chitty was suspended for eight weeks for elbowing Bill Williams.

After leaving Melbourne at the end of the 1946 VFL season, Chitty spent several years in country Victoria as captain-coach of the Benalla Football Club in the Ovens and Murray Football League, during which time he led the goalkicking on two occasions.

While living in Benalla he starred as bushranger Ned Kelly in the critically panned feature film The Glenrowan Affair (1951).

Chitty then moved to Tasmania where he served as captain-coach of the Scottsdale Football Club. He won the Northern Tasmanian Football Association goalkicking in 1952 with 40 goals. He finished his playing career with Ringarooma in the North East Football Union and in 1956 he kicked 105 goals for the season.

Chitty's brother Peter played VFL football for St Kilda and later, as a Prisoner of War in Changi Prison, was awarded a "Brownlow Medal" for being the Best and Fairest player in the Changi Football League.[4]

References
  1. "World War Two Nominal Roll". Government of Australia. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  2. "Bob Chitty - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  3. Bob Chitty, Australian Football. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  4. Shaw, I. (2006) Bloodbath, Scribe, Melbourne.


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