Born Benalla, Victoria March 21, 1871 – died Wangaratta, Victoria, August 21, 1955

Recruited to Carlton from Geelong

Carlton player No. 145

At Carlton

77 matches, nine goals 1903-1908 & 1910

Premiership player 1906, 1907 & 1908

Captain 1905-1907

Jim Flynn was one of the first footballers the then Secretary/Coach Jack Worrall targeted in his quest to return Carlton to the powerhouse it was through its first golden era of the 1870s.

And as with many of Worrall’s hunches, the one with Flynn paid off handsomely.

Born in Benalla, James Edward Flynn initially followed his football dream to the VFA, where he represented Collingwood in one senior appearance in 1896. He then joined Geelong in the VFL’s inception season of ’97, and would play for the Pivotonians through to the end of 1902.

Flynn joined a re-emerging Carlton in 1903, and such was his impact that by 1904 he was elevated to the club’s captaincy. In the Grand Final victory over Fitzroy in 1906 – Carlton’s first since its VFA triumph of 1887 - Flynn ably led from the front as the team’s pre-eminent ruckman.

Private business interests – specifically the running of the St. James Hotel - began to impact on Flynn’s football commitments, to the extent that in August 1907 he sounded out Worrall about relinquishing the Carlton captaincy and giving the game away. Worrall dismissed the move, but allowed his player time away before recalling him for the finals if required.

Again, Worrall’s canny play reaped substantial reward, with the recalled captain Flynn at centre half-back and his ruck replacement George ‘Mallee’ Johnson sharing Best On Ground honours in Carlton’s back-to-back Grand Final triumph over South Melbourne.

In 1908, Flynn again confided in Worrall that he intended to retire before season’s end – and again Worrall convinced his hardened competitor to remain on standby. Sure enough, Flynn returned on the eve of the September ’08 campaign – and was imperious off half-back in Carlton’s crushing semi-final demolition of St Kilda, and equally authoritative in defence when the team completed the fabulous hat-trick of Premierships at Essendon’s expense.

Those who thought Flynn’s stellar career would surely end with that historic third pennant were very much mistaken, for almost two years later to the day Carlton Captain-Coach Fred ‘Pompey’ Elliott caused a sensation when he summoned Flynn out of retirement to for the 1910 Semi-Final with South Melbourne. The wily veteran was badly needed following the sensational dismissals of three prominent players Doug Gillespie, Alex Lang and Doug Fraser, all of whom had been accused of accepting bribes.

Carlton entered that fateful Grand Final in turmoil, but went down gamely by 14 points – thereby signalling the end of Flynn’s auspicious League career.

At 39 years and 180 days, the great man had truly wrung the cloth dry.

Perhaps Worrall put it best when, in a later life as a sporting columnist for The Australasian, he wrote of Jim Flynn:

“Carlton was finding its feet when Flynn joined the ranks. It was the Club’s salvation. He was the ideal captain. He fitted into the team like a glove, and had the confidence of everybody – players, Committee and supporters alike.

“He did not prove a great captain straight away. Yet when he did come into his own, he was unsurpassed. His judgement was remarkable, he could play anywhere and he helped everybody.

“He was a natural centre half back, a splendid centreman with a 50-yard kick on either foot, was a good runner, a great follower and a dangerous forward, as he could both mark and kick. He was an inspiration to the men under him and had the knack of pulling the side together when required . . . ”