Victorian Football Association
Career: 1886
Sharpe or Sharp.
Left: W. Sharp (vice captain) is pictured in the 1889 Port Melbourne team photo.
Image: SLV; Argus Weekend Magazine June 24 1939
"Curly" Sharp, from Bendigo, first name unknown.
Mark Pennings' Vol. 3 Origins of Australian Football says W. Sharp recruited from Bendigo Imperials in 1886.
1887 The Australasian, April 23, reports that Sharp has transferred from Carlton to Port Melbourne.
A report in the same paper on the Port Melbourne vs Union Jack (23) game, had a goal for Port kicked by a W. Sharp.
Volume 3 Origins of Australian Football has W. Sharp transferring to Port Melbourne in 1887.
1906, September 29 p13, Quiz (Adelaide)
"Umpire" is writing about Carlton's last premiership.
"The Carlton were premiers last, I believe, in 1888, when I had the pleasure of playing with them. Those were the days - when Jack Baker, Tom Leydin, "Gibb" Currie, Sam Bloomfield, "Jigger" Moorhouse, "Curly" Sharp, Jasper Jones, and other notable players were in their prime. Football was fairly in the bloom about that time."
"Umpire" is most likely former Carlton player Frank Coffey who played with the Blues in 1886 and later went to South Australia where he became a long serving umpire. Frank wrote about football for various newspapers in Adelaide.