Geelong’s last surviving member of its 1951 premiership, Cyril ‘Bill’ McMaster, dies at age 94

The Geelong Football Club is mourning the death of the last surviving member of the iconic premiership teams of 1951 and 1952 and the man who helped snare club legends including Gary Ablett Snr.

Bill McMaster during a Geelong Football Club Golf Day in the mid-1990s at 13th Beach with Gary Davidson, Stephen Wells and Paul Brown. Picture: Private collection

The last surviving member of Geelong’s 1951 and 52 premierships, Cyril “Bill” McMaster OAM, has died at the age of 94.

In a statement on Wednesday, the club said McMaster had been a “pioneer of our game”, who kicked five goals on debut against South Melbourne with the number seven on his back.

Playing in premiership teams in his first two VFL seasons, McMaster would represent the hoops in 61 games and boot 74 goals from a brief, four-season career, after starting his local footballing journey at St Joseph’s College.

McMaster told this publication in December 2023 he often recalled those premierships under coach Reg Hickey fondly.

“I’m very pleased I’m still here. I saw them come and go,” McMaster said.

Bill McMaster during his playing days with Geelong. Picture: Supplied

“We had a very good side. We had a very good spirit, ‘Hick’ was coaching, Hick was coaching well and the club overall there was a great spirit amongst the players. Fred Flanagan was at centre half forward, Bob Davis was at his best.

“It was just one of those sides that comes around every now and again.

“You don’t get that very often, you have to have particular players and Hick was a very strong coach and he wouldn’t stand for any nonsense.”

Geelong in May of its premiership year of 1952. Picture: Photo File

McMaster was also part of a Cats outfit which famously won 26 games in a row.

The 193cm ruckman had caught the attention of Cats recruiters have being part of a three-peat with Lake Bolac from 1948 before venturing to Ararat on permit.

He would return to Lake Bolac after his Geelong days, leading them to consecutive flags in 1955 and 56 before joining Mortlake for a further seven seasons.

However, his Kardinia Park homecoming came in 1971 to coach for two seasons, becoming the game’s inaugural, full-time recruiting officer in 73.

He would hold the role until his retirement in 1994, overseeing the snaring of Gary Ablett Snr, Greg Williams, Garry Hocking and Paul Couch to Kardinia Park.

McMaster had spoken to this publication just before Christmas to praise recruiting svengali Stephen Wells.

Champion Cats onballer Bill Goggin played the last match of his 248-game career under McMaster the coach in 1971, then coached Geelong in 1980-82 with McMaster as his recruiting manager.

Goggin said the players respected McMaster as a coach and even those who were brought down to Kardinia Park but failed to make the grade walked away admiring the recruiter.

“He was just as likeable to the ones that didn’t make it as the ones that did make it,” Goggin said.

“Once they met him, he just seemed to have that way about him and he was just a really genuine person.

“We had a lot of people come in through the club and they all had the same situation where they just liked him.

“He was one of those country boys, he never changed.”

McMaster, at Geelong training in 2000, was a recruiting officer for more than 20 years.

However, McMaster remained connected to the club as a member of the Honouring the Past Committee and Memorabilia Working Group, from 1994 to 2015, and earned life Cats and AFL life membership while scoring the Jack Titus Service and RJ Hickey awards (1993).

In January last year, he received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the general division for services to the game in the Barwon South West Region.

Originally published as Geelong’s last surviving member of its 1951 premiership, Cyril ‘Bill’ McMaster, dies at age 94