CAZALY THE LEGEND

Roy Cazaly (13 January 1893 – 10 October 1963) was an Australian Rules Footballer who played for South Melbourne and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also represented Victoria and Tasmania in interstate football, and after his retirement as a player, turned to coaching. Known for his ruck work and high-flying marks, he inspired the common catchphrase “Up there, Cazaly!”, which in 1979 became a popular song of the same name, securing his place in Australian folklore.

Cazaly was one of 12 inaugural “Legends” inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

The famous cry “Up there, Cazaly” was used as a battle-cry by Australian forces during World War II.

It is also the name of a famous song, released in 1979 by Mike Brady

Cazaly was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996 as one of the inaugural twelve Legends.

Cazalys Stadium in Cairns, Queensland, is named after Roy Cazaly.

VFL fame

Cazaly was famous for his ability to take spectacular marks despite his small stature, and, at South Melbourne, teammates Fred “Skeeter” Fleiter and Mark “Napper” Tandy, would simultaneously yell “Up there, Cazzer”, originating the phrase that would become synonymous with Australian rules football. He initially developed his marking ability by jumping at a ball strung up in a shed at his home, and held his breath as he jumped, an action that he believed lifted him higher. He also possessed the capacity to kick a football over 65 metres In 2009,

.Legacy

He is known to have played 322 premiership matches (198 in the VFL and 124 in the Tasmanian leagues), and 354 total career senior games (including 14 intrastate matches for the NTFA in Tasmania, and 18 interstate matches, 13 for Victoria and five for Tasmania). If his matches for Preston and Camberwell in the VFA are included, then Cazaly played in 343 premiership matches and 375 total career senior games. Cazaly also played country football for Minyip in 1925, and in a mid-week football competition during the 1930s.

Throughout his career, he stood at just 180 centimetres (5 ft 11 in), which is short for a ruckman, although his high leap made up for this, and he was incredibly fit. He retired from competitive football in 1941 at the age of 48. Later, he coached (non-playing) New Town to a number of Tasmanian Football League premierships. After his retirement from football, he was involved in many business ventures before his death in Hobart on 10 October 1963.

Cazaly The Legend

Roy Cazaly’s extraordinary story is one of the great tales of Australian Football.

Born in the depths of a depression, he overcame humble beginnings and personal setbacks to become one of our most celebrated footballers. His sublime skills and thrilling aerial feats made him a legend in his lifetime, with his name carried into the modern era via Mike Brady’s hymn to football – ‘Up There Cazaly’. In 1996 he became one of 12 inaugural Legends of Australian Football Hall of Fame. A relentless self-improver, Cazaly shaped the game’s development, applied his own theories to fitness, training and teamwork, and coached teams to premiership success. Away from the field, he enriched the lives of many more as a physiotherapist, horse trainer, philosopher and family man. Robert Allen’s meticulous research, gathered over 10 years, reveals in great detail the story of the man behind the catch cry.

“Little did I know when I wrote Up there Cazaly back in 1979 that I had chosen as a subject a man who was revered as a sportsman of many facets including fairness, a fair go and healthy living. He was ahead of his time.” Mike Brady

AMAZON BOOKS

https://www.amazon.com.au/Cazaly-extraordinary-greatest-Australian-Football/dp/0992363160

Cazaly: The Legend: Roy Cazaly’s extraordinary story is one of the great tales of Australian Football. Hardcover – 15 July 2017

by Robert Allen (Author)

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