To get a greater appreciation of why Jack ‘Skinny’ Titus has now attained ‘Immortal’ status at Richmond, here are a couple of newspaper articles on the brilliant goalkicking machine that were published in the twilight of his magnificent league football playing career with the Tigers.

“Whenever Titus is mentioned at the Tiger headquarters he is summed up as the greatest ‘character’ that ever walked into the room,” wrote the author of the first article that appeared in the ‘Sporting Globe’.

“This is a compliment to his running fire of banter and barrack and his ready wit. His philosophy meets every situation with a joke. As a club man, he has had few equals.

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“Around the club-rooms, Titus is the arch jester. No one is safe from his pranks. Many have tried to get back at him, but that nimble brain that sees things quickly before they really happen has quickly turned the proposition back on its originator. He has a native wit – a spontaneous humour that never leaves him stuck for an answer.

“But of more importance is his loyalty to the Club. Few know that two seasons back, Titus gave 10/- (shillings) each week of the season to the best boy in the second 18. He is vice-captain and players' representative on the committee.”

According to the article, Titus' explanation for his commitment to the Yellow and Black cause was simple.

“I'm in the best club there is and I am going to stay there till I finish,” he said.

The article's author subsequently posed the rhetorical question, “Wherein lies the success of Titus?” – and then proceeded to supply the answer . . .

“He is supremely confident. There is in fact a very perky ego about Jack. He is irrepressible.

“On the Melbourne ground (MCG) in a final, Richmond came over Carlton with three goals in as many minutes and snatched the laurels away from the Blues. The winning goal was kicked by Titus as the bell rang. Ray Brew was standing on his mark as Jack went back to kick. “You'll miss it!” Brew taunted him. “Oh yeah, watch this,” came the reply, and through it went to leave Richmond winners by a few points.

“Titus relies on his judgment in beating opponents. His timing is perfect and his anticipation of the flight of the ball uncanny. All this has been developed. The skill of Titus is of the type that is developed and built on natural ability until it reaches a very high standard.

“He is as cunning as a fox. Experience has given him a quick and certain estimate of the strength and weakness of opponents. He avoids the strength and exploits the weakness. He is as fast as any man in the game over the first 10 yards, while his dash to the ball is deadly in its certainty. It is no use playing him from behind.”

Football columnist of the day, P. J. Millard, alias ‘Short-Pass’, described Titus as “a footballing will o’ the wisp, and the most elusive and tantalising forward of the last decade in League football”.

“With cat-like stealth and nimbleness, he has perfected the art of giving his man the slip, as a very necessary prelude to one of his deadly shots at goal,” Millard wrote.

“Jack, of course, is too modest to say so himself; but to those who have watched him in action through his glittering career, it is obvious that his indomitable spirit – his absolute fearlessness – plays just as big a part in his success as his goal-getting technique. This consists, first, of slippery elusiveness, allied with deceptive pace in his dash for a mark. In addition, he possesses rare anticipation, a beautifully-timed leap for marking, a safe pair of hands, and a singularly accurate boot for his telling shots.”

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