Bruce Sloss
Encyclopedia
Bruce Moses Farquhar Sloss (21 January 1889 – 4 January 1917) was an Australian rules football
er who played as a follower with Essendon
and South Melbourne
in the Victorian Football League
(VFL), and with Brighton
in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).
on 21 January 1889.
As he grew up, he was a keen footballer and cricketer, and he taught Bible classes at the Malvern Presbyterian Church — where his name appears on its Roll of Honour. He was handsome, stood tall, and had a wonderful tenor voice.
. He played one more senior match for Essendon that year, against Geelong
, in round 8; and he played his third and last senior game for Essendon in round 2 of the 1908 season.
He played for Brighton for the remainder of the 1908 season, the entire 1909 season, and the first half of the 1910 season.
In 1909, he played for the VFA team that was beaten by 19 points by the South Australian Football League
(SAFL), 7.8 (50) to 4.7 (31). He was one of the best on the ground for the VFA team.
He was not able to play his first match for South Melbourne until the round 10 match of the 1907 season against Richmond
.
Playing as a follower, he was tallish for his era and somewhat lightly framed; he was, however, renowned for his speed and agility, and for his high marking ability, and the accuracy of his long kicking.
He played a number of representative games for Victoria, including playing for Victoria in the 1914 A.N.F.C. Carnival in Sydney.
In his last VFL match, the 1914 Grand Final
against Carlton
— which Carlton won 6.9 (45) to an inaccurate South Melbourne's 4.15 (39) — Sloss ran himself into the ground, and nearly won the game off his own boot; and, despite South Melbourne losing, many considered Sloss to be the best player on the ground.
The eminent sporting journalist Jack Worrall
— the former Australian Test cricketer and Fitzroy
footballer, and the former Carlton coach and incumbent Essendon
coach — writing in The Australasian
, had this to say of Sloss's performance:
, West Kensington
.
Sloss was the captain of the victorious Third Australian Divisional Team which beat the Australian Training Units team 6.16 (52) to 4.12 (36) (see The VFL during the World Wars#The .22Pioneer Exhibition Game.22 in London .281916.29).
, when a German shell landed near him, exploded and showered him with white-hot shrapnel on 4 January 1917. He was 27. He is buried at the Cité Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentières, in Northern France.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played as a follower with Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and South Melbourne
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL), and with Brighton
Brighton Football Club
Brighton Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA. The club was based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton and were nicknamed the Penguins...
in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).
Early life
Bruce Sloss, the youngest son of James Davis and Christina Sloss, was born in East MalvernMalvern East, Victoria
Malvern East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
on 21 January 1889.
As he grew up, he was a keen footballer and cricketer, and he taught Bible classes at the Malvern Presbyterian Church — where his name appears on its Roll of Honour. He was handsome, stood tall, and had a wonderful tenor voice.
Essendon
When just 18, Sloss was invited to train with Essendon. He played his first match in round 2 of the 1907 season against MelbourneMelbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
. He played one more senior match for Essendon that year, against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
, in round 8; and he played his third and last senior game for Essendon in round 2 of the 1908 season.
Brighton
Having realized that he would not gain regular selection with Essendon, he left Essendon after that second round match and went to the VFA Club, Brighton.He played for Brighton for the remainder of the 1908 season, the entire 1909 season, and the first half of the 1910 season.
In 1909, he played for the VFA team that was beaten by 19 points by the South Australian Football League
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
(SAFL), 7.8 (50) to 4.7 (31). He was one of the best on the ground for the VFA team.
South Melbourne
South Melbourne took some time to obtain a VFL clearance permit for him to play with them.He was not able to play his first match for South Melbourne until the round 10 match of the 1907 season against Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
.
Playing as a follower, he was tallish for his era and somewhat lightly framed; he was, however, renowned for his speed and agility, and for his high marking ability, and the accuracy of his long kicking.
He played a number of representative games for Victoria, including playing for Victoria in the 1914 A.N.F.C. Carnival in Sydney.
In his last VFL match, the 1914 Grand Final
1914 VFL Grand Final
The 1914 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and South Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1914. It was the 17th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
— which Carlton won 6.9 (45) to an inaccurate South Melbourne's 4.15 (39) — Sloss ran himself into the ground, and nearly won the game off his own boot; and, despite South Melbourne losing, many considered Sloss to be the best player on the ground.
The eminent sporting journalist Jack Worrall
Jack Worrall
John "Jack" Worrall was an Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy in the VFA and a test cricketer, a coach of both sports and a sporting journalist....
— the former Australian Test cricketer and Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
footballer, and the former Carlton coach and incumbent Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
coach — writing in The Australasian
Australasian Post
Australasian Post, or "Aussie Post," was Australia's longest-running weekly picture magazine.The origins of Australasian Post date back Saturday 3 January 1857 to the first volume of the publication Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle...
, had this to say of Sloss's performance:
Engineer
Sloss was employed as a maintenance engineer at a jam factory. He invented (and patented) a method for cutting melons into cubes that involved revolving circular wheels (instead of fixed knife blades) which prevented the fruit being reduced to a pulp. An article in The Recorder reported that his invention had "revolutionised the jam-making industry".Soldier
Sloss enlisted in 1915, and was trained as a machine-gun officer. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 17 January 1916, and was assigned to the 10th Machine Gun Company, First A.I.F. (the unit in which his oldest brother Roy also served). The Unit arrived in England in July 1916. Whilst the Unit was in camp (on 3 September), Sloss was promoted to Lieutenant.Soldier and footballer
On Saturday 28 October 1916, an Australian Rules football match was held between two teams of Australian servicemen in aid of the British and French Red Cross at Queen's ClubQueen's Club
The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. Founded in 1886, the Queen's Club was the world's first multipurpose sports complex and named after Queen Victoria, its first patron...
, West Kensington
West Kensington, London
- Commercial/education :Local business consists of small shops, offices and restaurants, with the Olympia Exhibition Centre nearby. Indeed, it is the mix of local shops that give the area its character....
.
Sloss was the captain of the victorious Third Australian Divisional Team which beat the Australian Training Units team 6.16 (52) to 4.12 (36) (see The VFL during the World Wars#The .22Pioneer Exhibition Game.22 in London .281916.29).
Death and burial
Sloss died instantly, behind the lines near ArmentièresArmentières
Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....
, when a German shell landed near him, exploded and showered him with white-hot shrapnel on 4 January 1917. He was 27. He is buried at the Cité Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentières, in Northern France.
See also
- VFL/AFL players who died in active serviceVFL/AFL players who died in active serviceSince the inception of the Victorian Football League in 1897, many of its players have served in the armed services, including the Anglo-Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War , and the Vietnam War .A number of the VFL players who served also lost their lives in active...
- The "Pioneer Exhibition Game" in London (1916)
External links
- Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Bruce Moses Farquhar Sloss
- First World War Nominal Roll (Sloper, Frederick Charles — Sly, Eric Alfred)
- AFL Statistics: Bruce Sloss
- Full Points Footy Biography: Bruce Sloss
- AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): Essendon Football Club 1907
- AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): Essendon Football Club 1908
- AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): South Melbourne Football Club 1910
- AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): South Melbourne Football Club 1911
- AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): South Melbourne Football Club 1912
- AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): South Melbourne Football Club 1913
- AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): South Melbourne Football Club 1914
- Blueseum: Grand Final, 1914