Bob Shearman

Bob Shearman
Shearman accepting the 1970 SANFL premiership trophy.
Personal information
Full name	Robert Osborne Shearman
Date of birth	(1939-09-14)14 September 1939
Date of death	27 June 1999(1999-06-27) (aged 59)
Place of death	Macinaggio, Corsica[1]
Original team(s)	Aberfeldie
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	82 kg (181 lb)
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1956–1960	Essendon	064 00(8)
1961–1964	West Torrens	070 0(90)
1966–1972	Sturt	121 (92)
Total		255 (190)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
1961 - 1964	South Australia	13
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1972.
Career highlights
5× SANFL Premiership player: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 South Australian Football Hall of Fame: 2002 Sturt Team of the Century Sturt Football Club Hall of Fame: 2004 13× South Australian State Team: 1961, 1962(c), 1963(c), 1964(c) 7× The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969 All-Australian team: 1961 West Torrens Captain: 1962-64 Sturt Football Club Captain: 1969-72 5AW South Australian Footballer of the Year Award: 1962 Simpson Medal: 1964 2× Craven Filter Champion Kick of Australia: 1968, 1971 Jack Oatey Vintage 21 Team (Vice Captain)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Robert Osborne Shearman (14 September 1939 – 27 June 1999) was an Australian Rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the West Torrens Football Club and Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

He was widely acknowledged as one of the most exceptional and versatile footballers of his time, noted for his strength, intelligence, and ability to play in any position on the field.^[2]

Renowned for his unrivalled prodigious kicking as one of the finest practitioners of the drop kick and among the premier centremen and half-back flankers, his skill set was widely admired.

Furthermore, his bravery and leadership were celebrated, as evidenced by his captaincy roles at West Torrens, Sturt, and the South Australian state team.

Throughout his illustrious career, Shearman garnered numerous accolades including being a part of five premiership-winning teams, serving as club captain for two clubs whilst making 13 appearances for the state of South Australia. Notably, he captained the state team in 1962, 1963, and 1964, was selected for the All Australian team in 1961, and was awarded the Simpson Medal as the best player in the 1964 interstate carnival.

Following his career, Shearman was posthumously inducted as an inaugural member into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Sturt Football Club Hall of Fame in 2004. Additionally, he was named a member of Sturt's Team of the Century.