Player Inductee
Longford/North Launceston, Ruckman, 1938-52
> Around 50 games for Longford, 1938-41
> Around 120 games for North Launceston, 1945-52
> North Launceston NTFA premierships, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950
> North Launceston state premierships, 1947, 1949, 1950
> Longford Best and Fairest, 1941
> Tasmanian National Carnival representative, 1947 (Hobart)
> NTFA representative, 1945-50
> Life member of North Launceston Football Club, 1957
A fine ruckman who was the cornerstone of one of the finest following divisions of post-war Tasmanian football, Albert Chilcott enjoyed a fine and distinguished career either side of the Second World War, particularly with the highly successful North Launceston sides of the late 1940s.
Born in 1918, Chilcott made his senior debut for NTFA side Longford in 1938 at the age of 19. Over four seasons and more than 50 games, Chilcott was a consistently good performer for the Tigers, winning the club’s final pre-war Best and Fairest award in 1941 before the NTFA was forced into recess by World War II. Chilcott enlisted in the military during the conflict, serving with the 10/48th Australian Infantry Battalion, a unit that never saw overseas action, and he was discharged in late 1945.
NTFA competition had resumed earlier that year, and Chilcott had resumed his football career with it, this time in the red and black of North Launceston. Before long, Chilcott – along with Noel Atkins and Raynor ‘Rattler’ Summers – would form the potent following division that became the backbone of the Gavin Luttrell-coached North Launceston juggernaut of 1946-50. The Robins took out five consecutive NTFA premierships as well as three state flags during this period of dominance, with Chilcott one of eight players to feature in all ten NTFA/state grand finals, being named amongst his side’s best players in a number of these matches.
During his time at North Launceston Chilcott’s talents were also recognised with a number of representative honours. He represented the NTFA in intrastate matches against both the TANFL and NWFU every year between 1945 and 1950, and in 1947 was accorded the greater honour of representing his state when he pulled on the famous ‘map’ guernsey for the 1947 National Carnival in Hobart. Chilcott continued to enjoy a fruitful partnership with teammates Atkins and Summers during these matches, with the trio making history as the only following division to appear together in club, association and state fixtures.
After more than 170 club and 20 representative matches, Chilcott retired at the conclusion of the 1952 season. His contributions to North Launceston were recognised in 1957 when he was afforded life membership of the club.
