Bob Chitty
Robert Main-Warring Chitty was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.
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." 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.
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.
