AFL in mourning over death of two-time premiership winner who was a pioneer of the game as a player, coach then recruiter
- Cyril McMaster won two flags with Geelong
- Gary later recruited Ablett snr to the club
The Geelong Cats are in mourning following the death of two-time premiership winner Cyril ‘Bill’ McMaster at the age of 94.
An imposing ruckman, McMaster won flags in 1951 and 1952 – and has been called a ‘pioneer of the game’.
After retiring from football in 1954, McMaster returned to the AFL club as coach in 1971 for two seasons before becoming football’s first ever full-time recruiting officer in 1973, a role he held for more than twenty years.
McMaster was a crucial figure in the recruitment of Gary Ablett Snr – arguably the code’s greatest ever player – as well as Greg Williams, Garry Hocking and Paul Couch.
His unique contribution to the sport saw him awarded Life Membership to Geelong, plus the Jack Titus Service Award and RJ Hickey Awards.
In 2000 he also received the Australian Sports Medal.
The Geelong Cats are in mourning following the death of two-time premiership winner Cyril ‘Bill’ McMaster (right)
An imposing ruckman (pictured second from left, second row from top), McMaster won flags in 1951 and 1952 – and has been labeled a ‘pioneer of the game’
McMaster was then a key figure for Geelong in the recruitment of Gary Ablett snr – arguably the code’s greatest ever player (pictured)
In January last year, McMaster was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for his services to Australian rules football in the Barwon South West Region.
McMaster remembered that News Corp his excitement at winning back-to-back premierships in 1951 and 1952 with Geelong, having first stood out as a towering youngster at Lake Bolac and then Ararat Football Club.
“We had a very good team that played with spirit,” he said in 2023.
‘It was just one of those sides that comes along every now and then.
‘You don’t come across that often, you have to have certain players.
“Hiccup [coach Reg Hickey] was also very strong…he didn’t put up with any nonsense.’
McMaster was also part of a famous Cats team that won 26 games in a row between 1952 and 1953.
After a serious injury following the 1953 Grand Final defeat to Collingwood, McMaster returned to Lake Bolac, leading them to 1955 and 56 consecutive flags.
This was followed by a move to Mortlake for a further seven seasons.