Given he was a man with a name perfectly suited to a game played on grass, it’s no surprise that Jim Lawn always looked at home on the footy field.

A highly talented forward and follower, he did well enough in his three seasons at Collingwood to suggest every chance of a bright career. And while he did indeed end up enjoying a wonderful career, most of it wasn’t with Collingwood – or even in the VFL.

Jim came to Collingwood in 1923, having previously been a star schoolboy footballer at Camberwell High School, and then getting early opportunities with Camberwell in their pre-VFA days. He'd been best on ground for the Cobras in their 1922 Grand Final victory, which piqued Collingwood's interest.

He was a big lad, capable of holding down a key position and also having a run in the ruck. But he was agile and mobile enough to also play as a third tall, especially at VFL level. A newspaper report from later in his career noted: “He kicks with either foot, and for a big man turns with surprising ease. He is a past master at making position and creating the odd man.”

All of those qualities were on display in his three seasons at Collingwood, albeit not as consistently as he would have liked. Even so he managed one four-goal haul in each season he played. He also represented Victoria against NSW in just his second season, and his third season ended early after he suffered a serious injury against Melbourne in Rd 13. He’d kicked 17 goals from just 10 games that year and really seemed to be growing into his game.

Unfortunately that would be the last time he’d be seen in Collingwood colours. Jim left the Magpies at the end of 1925 and went to Yallourn as captain-coach, presumably for better money. But the Magpies refused his clearance, saying he was still a required player. Lawn tried to circumvent the stand-off by playing a single match for the Brown Coal Juniors, who then granted him a clearance to Yallourn. But after he'd played three matches, the Association ruled that wasn't enough and docked the club the four points earned in each of Lawn's games. All was forgiven by the end of that year, however, when he led Yallourn to the Premiership.

Having originally refused his clearance, the Pies strangely cleared him back to Camberwell midway through 1926. He stayed with Yallourn, however, leading them to the flag.

At the end of that year a combined VFA team ventured to the region to play a combined Central Gippsland team. Lawn starred for the locals that day and Camberwell, his boyhood club and by now in the VFA, approached him to return for 1927. He agreed almost instantly.

Over the next eight seasons he would become a star at Camberwell, with one season spent in the middle of his career with Yarraville. In just his second season the Sporting Globe voted him the best player in the VFA, and he was also chosen in the VFA team of the year by the same paper while at Yarraville in 1931.

He ended up playing more than 120 games, and kicked nearly 300 goals in the VFA, including double-figure bags on more than one occasion. He played mostly as a centre half-forward. In 1929 he captained Camberwell, topped the goalkicking and won the best-and-fairest. 

Jim Lawn was a very, very good footballer: his record at VFA level demonstrates that, and he’d already shown plenty of promising signs with Collingwood before that. There seems little doubt he could have had a longer career at the top level if he’d wanted.

- Michael Roberts