Jack Wrout


John Everett Wrout was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League.

Family

The son of Herbert Wrout, and May Victoria Wrout, née Hay, John Everett Wrout was born at West Melbourne, Victoria on 8 October 1911.
He married Nancy Jean Ryan, the sister of Reg Ryan, in 1935. They had two children: John, and Nancy May, later Mrs. Vincent Patrick Heffernan.

Education

He was educated at St Joseph's Christian Brothers' College, North Melbourne.

Football

North Melbourne (VFL)

Wrout, "a defender of pace and determination" was recruited for the North Melbourne Football Club, in the VFL, "from the C.Y.M.S. competition" in 1931, and played his first match for the North Melbourne First XVIII against Melbourne, at the M.C.G., on 5 September 1931.
On 10 July 1933, along with team-mate Charlie Gaudion, Wrout was selected as one of the two men from the North Melbourne club in the VFL's representative team for the Eighth Australian National Football Carnival, to be held, in Sydney in the first two weeks of August; and it was speculated that he would be part of the First XVIII, and play on the half-forward flank. Ten minutes into North Melbourne's next home-and-away match, against Fitzroy, at the very muddy and heavy Brunswick Street Oval, on 15 July 1933, Wrout, who was playing at centre half-forward, went down in a crush of players and broke his left leg. His injury meant that he was unable to play for Victoria, and his place in the team was taken by Jim Adamson.
In 1934, he was the only North Melbourne player selected in the VFL representative team that played against South Australia on 16 June 1934; and, in 1935, he was selected as part of the VFL representative team that played against a combined Bendigo team on 3 August 1935.

Carlton (VFL)

In 1936, he was transferred to the Carlton Football Club, in exchange for Alan Crawford. He made his debut for Carlton in round 12, 1936, and went on to play in 130 senior games, and score 266 goals over nine seasons.
Wrout missed most of the 1938 season with a knee injury suffered in round 5, but returned in the final home-and-away round and played throughout the finals. Playing at centre half-forward, he was considered among the best on the ground in Carlton's 1938 VFL grand final victory against Collingwood, kicking four goals. It was the only premiership of Wrout's VFL career.
Wrout broke his leg, just above the ankle, in the third quarter of his 97th consecutive game with Carlton, the final game of the 1944 home-and-away season. The injury forced the almost 33 year-old Wrout into retirement.

Carlton Football Club

Wrout later had a long administrative career at Carlton, serving as Vice-President and chairman of selectors. He was elected into the Carlton Hall of Fame in 2016.

Death

He died at St Vincent's Hospital, in Fitzroy, Victoria, on 16 June 1981.