Career : 1925
Debut : Round 1, 1925 vs South Melbourne, aged 20 years, 202 days
Carlton Player No. 403
Games : 8
Goals : 0
Last Game : Round 13, 1925 vs Essendon, aged 20 years, 300 days
Guernsey No. 5
Height : 185 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)
Weight : 80 kg (12 stone, 8 lbs.)
DOB : 12 October, 1904
Edward ‘Ned’ Kick was brought from Dunolly in central Victoria to Princes Park in 1925 by future Carlton captain Maurie Beasy. The pair had played football together throughout their teenage years, and Beasy was convinced that Kick would make the grade.
Having languished on the bottom rungs of the VFL ladder for three years, the Blues were intent on improvement, which explains why Kick was one of eight first-game players to take the field for Carlton against South Melbourne at the Lake Oval in the first round of that new season.
Playing at half-back in guernsey number 5, Kick had a rude introduction to elite-level football when his team was routed by 38 points, and he was promptly relegated to the seconds team for the next month. But benefitting from that experience, he returned to the seniors in his preferred role as a follower or second ruckman, and played the remainder of his eight games almost in succession.
However, by August of that year, with Carlton still anchored in the bottom four, Ned apparently decided that big-city football and all that that entailed wasn’t for him. He packed up and went home to the bush like so many others before and after – although his VFL career wasn’t quite over. In 1928, Ned came back to Melbourne for another brief crack at the game with Fitzroy, where he managed another two games and a solitary goal.
The Sun News-Pictorial reported that Kick had applied for a clearance to Drouin. (April 16 p10 1926)
Some 33 years later, Ned's son Murray followed in his father’s footsteps, when he began a career of 55 games with the Blues in guernsey number 30. Later still, Ned's grandson Martin Kick played reserve grade football for Carlton in 1988.
Ned Kick passed away in Dunolly Vic. on the 24 February 1991 aged 86 years.
If anyone can proved a photo of Ned please contact Blueseum (www.blueseum.org)
Footnote
The Age's report of the Carlton practice match held on April 11 1925 said;"The outstanding performance among the recruits was that of E. Kick, of Dunolly, who displayed rare dash and determination, kicked well, and, although not tall, marked brilliantly."
"And speaking of kicks, Carlton has a big Kick, an appropriate name for a footballer, in training. He hails from Dunolly, Clover's district, and should make a good defender or half-forward.
They have good footballers up that way." (Trove; Sun News- Pict. April 08 p21 1925)
1963 A player named E. Ted Kick was named in the Reserves for the Round 2 match against St.Kilda.
Murray Kick was playing for the seniors this day. A relation?