MAY, Wally

Also nicknamed "Chooka" after his father, Wally May was a fine, hard working, vigorous follower and defender who was one of the toughest players to play for Essendon.

He came from the Melbourne Boys League (winning the premiership in 1945) to the Under 19s and his principle was the bigger they are the harder they fall. He was a great team player, always ready to help the smaller men by pushing the ball their way and shepherding.

May was runner-up in Essendon's Best and Fairest award in 1951 and played well in the back pocket and ruck in the 1949 and 1950 premiership wins. He won an award for Best Finals Series in 1950.

He won the Most Consistent Player award in 1950 and 1952 and was named in the Sporting Life Team of the Year in 1952.

An engineer, he moved to South Australia with his employment in 1953 and sought a clearance to Sturt which Essendon refused so he was forced to stand out of football. However he was finally able to play with Sturt in 1954 and played 54 games there until 1957. He won their Best and Fairest award in 1955. He was captain-coach in 1956 but stood down as coach in 1957, although he remained as a player.

His reputation as a tough player followed him to South Australia and he was reported four times but only found guilty once and suspended for two weeks. He claimed in a later interview that he was 90% bluff, saying "If you can put an opponent off by pretending to charge him you reduce the odds against you, particularly in a game which was played largely as man-to-man duels. My aim was always to make opponents lose a yard by having to run around me."

Following his retirement from football, he became a pioneering and popular "special comments man" on SA television, renowned for his succinct analytical summaries. Fellow commentator Max Hall would throw to him with the line "comment, Wally May" and it became a local catchcry.

May was a former state manager of Golden Fleece Petroleum and later national sales manager for the Eight Mile Creek cheese factory in Mount Gambier.

His father, Charlie, played 83 games for Essendon, but became better known as one of the Club's longest-serving trainers. His brother, Ian, played for Essendon's Under 19s and was a member of the premiership team in 1950.

May died on 16th May 2011.