| Jack Perkins | |
| Fullname: | John Thomas Perkins |
| Birth Date: | 20 January 1903 |
| Birth Place: | Chiltern Valley, Victoria |
| Death Place: | Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria |
| Originalteam: | Port Melbourne |
| Height: | 179 cm |
| Weight: | 88 kg |
| Statsend: | 1936 |
| Years1: | 1923–1924 |
| Club1: | Port Melbourne (VFA) |
| Games Goals1: | 3 (0) |
| Years2: | 1925–1933 |
| Club2: | Northcote (VFA) |
| Games Goals2: | 111 (12) |
| Years3: | 1934–1936 |
| Club3: | St Kilda |
| Games Goals3: | 39 (14) |
John Thomas Perkins (20 January 1903 – 12 May 1955) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The son of David Perkins (1871-1939),[1] and Julia Perkins (1876-1957), née Looney,[2] John Thomas Perkins was born at Chiltern Valley, Victoria on 20 January 1903.
He married Ivy Best (1903-1977) in 1929.
He played several games for Port Melbourne, before transferring to Northcote.
Perkins, a centre half-back,[3] spent most of his career at Northcote, in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).[4]
He was de-registered by the VFA in 1933 following incidents in the first round of the VFA season. He had already been given lengthy suspension on three previous occasions for on-field violence: "for four weeks in 1925, for 11 weeks in 1929, and for almost the entire season in 1931".[5]
Despite not having been re-registered by the VFA, he made two appearances in 1934 for the Northcote seconds. Following a complaint over his eligibility to play in the seconds, Perkins' case was brought to the Association Permit and Umpire Committee.[6] He was eventually re-registered -- and, therefore, allowed to play in the seconds -- but, instead, he applied for a transfer to St Kilda.[7]
Already 31 years of age, Perkins made his debut for St Kilda, as a ruckman, in the ninth round of the 1934 VFL season.[8] [9]
He played in a combined Victorian Police Association side, against a combined Western District Football League side, at Hanlon Park on 6 October 1934;[10] and he represented Victoria against Bendigo in 1935.
He was St Kilda's club captain in 1936;[11] however, as a policeman, he was forced to retire after three VFL seasons, following a declaration by the new Police Commissioner, Alexander Duncan, that members of the Victorian police force could not play professional football.[12] [13]
He was suspended for 4 weeks for striking in September 1934; and was found not guilty of kicking in July 1936.
He died at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, in Parkville, Victoria, on 12 May 1955.[14] [15]