ICON – Player Inductee
New Town/South Melbourne/Clarence/Longford/Sandy Bay
Rover – 1939-53
> Five games, five goals, South Melbourne, 1942
> Represented Tasmania at 1947, 1950 and 1953 Australian carnivals
> Represented Tasmania 14 times
> Runner-up in the TFL best and fairest in first two seasons with New Town
> Clarence best and fairest, 1946 and 1947
> Stancombe Trophy, 1947 and 1950 (Tasmania’s best player at national carnival)
> Longford best and fairest, 1948, 1949 and 1951
> NTFA best and fairest, 1948, 1950 and 1951
> Tassie Medal, 1950
> Sandy Bay premiership, 1952
> William Leitch Medal for TFL best and fairest, 1953
> Sandy Bay best and fairest, 1952 and 1953
Born 7 April 1921, Terry Cashion was arguably Tasmania’s greatest rover and was considered the best player in Australia after the 1950 Australian National Carnival. He was a brilliant and scrupulously fair player who won four league best and fairest awards, was twice runner-up and won multiple club awards in a career interrupted by injury and World War Two.
Cashion won league and club best and fairest awards in eight consecutive seasons from 1946, but it was his speed, agility and uncanny ability to read play that were the hallmarks of his game. While he was a dominant rover of his era he could turn his hand to other positions on the ground, such were his skills. Cashion dominated play whomever he came up against and was always first for the ball.
In his inaugural years the teenage Terry Cashion played with New Town and he was also runner-up senior best and fairest in the Tasmanian Football League (William Leitch Medal). After joining the Army for war service he was recruited to play with South Melbourne. However, a serious knee injury cut short his opportunity with the Swans in 1942. Following his return to Tasmania he eased his way back into football through district competition with Clarence. Although he won their best and fairest award in 1946 and 1947 his more lasting contribution was helping them make the transition into the senior TFL in 1947.
Following his time at Clarence, Cashion joined Longford as captain-coach from 1948 to 1951. He dominated NTFA football, winning three club and three association best and fairest awards. During this period he also became the only Tasmanian player to win the Eric Tassie Medal for best player at an Australian National Carnival in 1950, and he was arguably the best rover in Australia during this stellar season. It was also at the 1950 carnival that he was named Tasmanian vice captain and led his state against NSW when Vern Rae was injured.
After returning to Sandy Bay in 1952 he added two more club awards, a premiership, the William Leitch Medal for best in the TFL, and another National Carnival to his long list of achievements.
Terry Cashion is credited with having played 193 senior games, including 14 for Tasmania, 16 for the NTFA and nine for the TFL. This was an outstanding return given he effectively missed six seasons due to injury and war service between the ages of 19 and 24 years.
In June 2004 Terry Cashion was selected as a rover in the official Tasmanian ‘Team of the Century’ and then in 2005 was an inaugural inductee in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame. He was elevated to Tasmanian football legend in 2006.
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