Jim Maxfield

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Jim Maxfield

| image =

| fullname = James Vivian Maxfield

| nickname = Snowy

| birth_date = {{birth date|1893|08|27|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bendigo, Victoria

| death_date = {{death date and age|1953|08|23|1893|08|27|df=y}}

| death_place = Parkville, Victoria

| height = 163 cmService Record.

| weight = 63 kgService Record.

| position =

| statsend = 1930

| coachstatsend = 1927

| years1 = 1915

| club1 = Bendigo City (BFL)

| games_goals1 = {{0}}3 (6)

| years2 = 1916

| club2 = Training Units (AIF)

| games_goals2 = {{0}}1 (1)

| years3 = 1920–1923

| club3 = Morwell (CGFL)

| games_goals3 = {{0}}35

| years4 = 1921

| club4 = Northcote (VFA)

| games_goals4 = {{0}}2

| years5 = 1924–25

| club5 = {{AFL Ric}}

| games_goals5 = {{0}}10 (2)

| years6 = 1926

| club6 = Maffra (CGFL)

| games_goals6 =

| years7 = 1927–1930

| club7 = Traralgon (CGFL)

| games_goals7 =

| coachyears1 = 1926

| coachclub1 = Maffra (CGFL)

| coachgames_wins1 =

| coachyears2 = 1927

| coachclub2 = Traralgon (CGFL)

| coachgames_wins2 =

| careerhighlights =

AIF Pioneer Exhibition Game, London,
28 October 1916
1922 Morwell (CGFL) premiership team
1923 Captain C.G.F.L. representative team
1926 Maffra (CGFL) premiership captain-coach

}}

James Vivian "Snowy" Maxfield (27 August 1893 – 23 August 1953) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL).Holmesby & Main (2014), p.561.

Family

James Vivian Maxfield was born at Bendigo, Victoria, on 27 August 1893. He married Kathleen Ursula O'Rourke in 1924.

Education

He was educated at the Marist Brothers' College in Bendigo.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184848862 Good All-Rounder: Maxfield wins Sale Cup, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 9 March 1927.]

Military service

He enlisted in the First AIF in February 1916, and served overseas, returning to Australia in June 1919.

Football

=Bendigo City (BFL)=

A talented local footballer in the Newbridge district,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121047471 Newbridge, The Inglewood Advertiser, (Friday, 31 March 1916), p.2.] in 1915, he played three matches with the Bendigo City Football Club in the Bendigo Football League.Due to the war, the Bendigo competition was abandoned in mid-1915, and when the competition was revived, post-war, in 1919, the Bendigo City team had ceased to exist.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219871725 City's Fine Form, The Bendigo Independent, (Monday, 7 June 1915), p.3]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90778005 Sporting News: Football: Bendigo League: Bendigo City beat South Bendigo, The Bendigonian, (Thursday, 10 June 1915), p.26]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155520110 Bendigo League: Eagleh'wk beat Bendigo City, The Winner, (Wednesday, 16 June 1915), p.6]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219869240 Sporting Intelligence: Football: South Bendigo v. Bendigo City, The Bendigo Independent, (Friday, 25 June 1915), p.6.]

=Training Units (AIF)=

He played for the (losing) Australian Training Units team in the famous "Pioneer Exhibition Game" of Australian Rules football, held in London, in October 1916.A news film was taken at the match. The original newsreel: {{YouTube | LuUjgJHLgdg | title= Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916)}}. The 2019 remastered and colourised version of the original newsreel: {{YouTube | B88dBgC01YA | title= Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916), remastered and colourised version (2019)}} He was one of the team's best players, he scored one of its four goals.

=Morwell (CGFL)=

He played with the Morwell Football Club, in the Central Gippsland Football League (CGFL), for four seasons (1920-1923).

=Northcote (VFA)=

In 1921, he played two games with the VFA club Northcote.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242489000 Football: Association: Northcote v. Port Melb., The (Melbourne) Herald, (Saturday, 14 May 1921), p.3.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65914176 Protest Dismissed, The Morwell Advertiser, (Friday, 24 June 1921), p.2.]

=Richmond (VFL)=

on 28 May 1924, he was granted a clearance from Morwell to Richmond,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4344431 Football: League Permits,The Argus, (Thursday, 29 May 1924), p.14.] and he played his first senior match, against St Kilda, at the Punt Road Oval, on 31 May 1924.

Having played well in his first three matches, he was omitted from the Richmond side that met Carlton, at Princes Park, on 21 June 1924, on the grounds of that he was (allegedly) injured.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article185066416 Tigers Account for Carlton: Fumbling Spoilt the Game, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 21 June 1924), p.2.] Within days, however, it became clear that he had been stood down (i.e., rather than being "omitted"), due to Richmond's concerns in relation to the status of the clearance that Maxfield had been granted a month earlier.

==Maxfield's VFL permit cancelled==

On 25 June 1924, both the Richmond Football Club's Secretary, Percy Page,Percy Pembroke Page (1899-1986). [http://demonwiki.org/Percy+Page Percy Page, at Demonwiki]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article178089336 de Lacy, H.A., "Secret of Percy Page's Football Scoops", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 28 February 1942), p.3.] and Maxfield attended the VFL's Permit and Umpire Committee meeting.

In his presentation to the meeting, Page revealed that it had been brought to his attention over the preceding week that,Paul Hogan is most emphatic that this was entirely due to Carlton's Horrie Clover "[having] discovered that [Maxfield] had lived in Carlton's zone, when playing with Northcote in 1921" (1996, p.135). rather than coming to Richmond as a free agent from the "unallotted territory" of Morwell, Maxfield "had played two games with Northcote in 1921"; and that, as soon as he [Page] became aware of that fact, he had communicated with the Northcote club, and had obtained a clearance for Maxfield (the clearance had been subsequently endorsed by the VFA); and that, on those grounds, "[Page] asked that the League should put the matter in order by granting Maxfield a permit".Anon, 1924a.

In response, the VFL secretary, E.L. Wilson, "pointed out that in evidence given by Maxfield when his permit was granted [a month earlier], [Maxfield] had said that he had played at Morwell and Traralgon for four years, and had not played with any other club".

Giving evidence in support of his application, Maxfield stated that he had been "on holiday from Morwell" at the time of his two matches with Northcote, that he had obtained a clearance from Northcote back to Morwell at the time, and that "he had no intention of deceiving the League … when asked [a month earlier] when he got his permit", and had simply "forgotten about it".

In conclusion, the chairman, Mr. R. Hunt,Reginald Henry Garfield Hunt (1882-1966). noting that the committee "did not consider the explanation [offered by Maxfield] satisfactory", refused the application for a permit and, as well, suspended Maxfield indefinitely.

::"After deliberating, the chairman of the committee said the committee had decided to cancel the clearance previously granted Maxfield to Richmond, and to refuse the application [for a new permit that had been] under consideration that night. In addition, it had decided that under a rule of the League Maxfield should be "suspended during the pleasure of the umpire and permit committee"."Anon, 19924b.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Permit Committee's decision was final, and that there was no means through which an appeal could be made, Richmond attempted to bring the matter before the committee's consideration, once again, three weeks later.Anon, 1924c. The committee refused to re-open the case. Although unable to play any further for Richmond in 1924,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4224232 Football: Maxfield's Disqualification, The Argus, (Friday, 1 August 1924), p.4.] Maxfield continued to train with the Richmond team.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article265747894 Jottings, The Richmond Guardian, (Saturday, 30 August 1924), p.3.]

==Maxfield's VFL permit restored==

On 1 April 1925, Maxfield and the Richmond secretary, Percy Page, attended a meeting of the VFL's Permit and Umpire Committee. Page informed the committee that Maxfield wanted to present his case in person for the lifting of his disqualification. The committee "decided that it was not necessary to hear [Maxfield]", "went into committee to discuss the matter" and, "after a long discussion … decided to take no action"; and, as a consequence, Maxfield remained disqualified.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2072886 Maxfield's Disqualification, The Argus, (Thursday, 2 April 1925), p.5.]

On 20 May 1925, and just before the fourth round of the 1925 VFL season, Percy Page, attended yet another meeting of the VFL's Permit and Umpire Committee and re-opened Maxfield's case, arguing that, because "Maxfield had now missed 15 matches, it was considered by the Richmond club that he had been adequately punished"; the committee considered the application "in private", and its chairman, Mr. R. Hunt, "announced that the disqualification would stand".[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2119134 Football: Maxfield Case, The Argus, (Thursday, 21 May 1925), p.5.]

At the 3 June 1925 meeting of the VFL's Permit and Umpire Committee Maxfield's case "was again discussed, and it was decided to permit him to apply in another month for reinstatement".[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2123590 Football: League Committee's Decisions, The Argus, (Thursday, 4 June 1925), p.5.] Maxfield lodged his application for reinstatement on 1 July 1925,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2133438 Football: Applications Deferred: Maxfield's Case, The Argus, (Thursday, 2 July 1925), p.5.] and at the committee's 8 July 1925 meeting, and "without any discussion", and after having been disqualified for 21 matches, Maxfield's request to have his suspension lifted was granted.Anon, 1925.

He was immediately selected to play in Richmond's First XVII against North Melbourne, at the Arden Street Oval, on 11 July 1925, his first game since 14 June 1924.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244041546 Tigers Rampant: North checked in Third Round, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Saturday, 11 July 1925(, p.4.]

=Maffra (CGFL)=

In 1926, he was captain-coach of Maffra in the Central Gippsland Football League (CGFL).[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62602530 Maffra: Football, The Gippsland Times, (Thursday, 1 April 1926), p.5.] Maffra won the 1926 premiership.

=Traralgon (CGFL)=

In 1927, he was captain-coach of the Traralgon Football Club in the Central Gippsland Football League (CGFL).[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62680177 "Snowy" Maxwell Coach for Traralgon, The Gippsland Times, (Thursday, 11 April 1929), p.3.] He played with the club for four seasons, only one as captain-coach, and retired from football at the end of the 1930 season.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224918123 "Snowy" Maxfield to Retire. The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 4 October 1930), p.65.]

Athlete

He was a talented sprinter who did not begin running competitively until he was nearly 30.

On 26 February 1927, he won the 130-yard 1927 Sale Gift, running off 12 yards, narrowly beating the favourite, champion sprinter Tim Banner.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184847850 Sale Gift: Handicaps for February 26, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 16 February 1927), p.7.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184848527 Flying Banner just fails at Sale, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 2 March 1927.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65924540 Sale Athletic Club Sports: "Snowy" Maxfield wins Cup, The Morwell Advertiser, (Friday, 4 March 1927), p.3.]

Death

He died at Parkville, Victoria on 23 August 1953.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206455373 Deaths: Maxfield, The Age, (Monday, 24 August 1953), p.7.]

Notes

References

[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4304753 Anon. (1924a), "Permits to Players: Two Important Cases", The Argus, (Thursday, 26 June 1924), p.5.]
[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203642569 Anon. (1924b), "Richmond Player's Case: J. Maxfield Suspended", The Age, (Thursday, 26 June 1924), p.7.]
[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article246163796 Anon. (1924c), "Maxwell's Embargo: Richmond Makes Move", The (Melbourne) Herald, (Wednesday, 16 July 1924), p.3.]
[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article185067813 Anon. (1924d), "League Notes: Hard on Maxfield", The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 26 June 1924), p.7.]
[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155804289 Anon. (1925), "Football: League Permit Committee: J. Maxfield's Suspension Lifted", The Age, (Thursday, 9 July 1925), p.12.]
[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224007735 Premier Football Teams in the Country: Morwell, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 18 November 1922), p.40.]
Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, (Melbourne), 1996. {{ISBN|0-646-18748-1}}
{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 |last1=Holmesby|first1=Russell|last2=Main|first2=Jim |year=2014 |edition=10th |isbn=978-1-921496-32-5 |publisher=BAS Publishing |location=Seaford, Victoria}}
Richardson, N. (2016), The Game of Their Lives, Pan Macmillan Australia: Sydney. {{ISBN|9781743536667}}.
Wells (Samuel Garnet Wells (1885-1972)), [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article246166269 "J. Maxfield: Richmond's wing centre, who has to stand aside during the League's pleasure" (caricature), The (Melbourne) Herald, (Friday, 27 June 1924), p.3.]
[https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1067733/large/5375435.JPG First World War Embarkation Roll: Private James Maxfield (1693), collection of the Australian War Memorial.]
[https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068918/large/5360677.JPG First World War Nominal Roll: Private James Maxfield (1693), collection of the Australian War Memorial.]
[https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ViewPDF.aspx?B=8216989&D=D First World War Service Record: Private James Maxfield (1693), National Archives of Australia.]