Former Saint Glenn Middlemiss has passed away from heart failure in Queensland on September 13 at the age of 70.
He was a descendant of Geelong footballing royalty at Geelong where his father Russell was a star half-back flanker in the Cats’ back-to-back premierships of 1951 and 1952.
Glenn first made his mark as a utility player from Geelong West. He was once knocked out in a 1977 VFA game and was clinically dead before being revived. After that fearful accident a doctor reportedly said he should stop playing, but Glenn told a newspaper “I’m not going to worry about it. If you play football, you should be aware of these things".
He once kicked seven goals at full-forward for Geelong against the Saints in 1980. He played in the Cats’ two finals later that year and had 19 games for the season. Glenn’s record at Geelong from 1979 to 1981 was 34 games and 29 goals.
Glenn played the first three games of 1981 for the Cats and then went to St Kilda as the second part of the deal for Garry Sidebottom who had been swapped during the previous summer.
He spent his first six games at the Saints as a forward then in the last three rounds showed more effective form as a defender.
A broken wrist kept him out of the first 10 games of 1982 then he returned for the match against Sydney, but had little success in four senior games. In 1983 he had just one senior appearance, and lost his place on the senior list but remained at the club and was called upon to add two further games in 1984 for a career tally of 16 games and 10 goals.
His next football stop was at Queensland club Southport where he was joined by fellow ex-Cats Peter Johnston and Zane Taylor and he wrote himself into that club’s history books by kicking the winning goal in the local Grand Final with just 68 seconds left on the clock. Glenn booted 53 goals that season and 77 the following year, before achilles problems ended his playing days.
He took up outrigger boating and became a Masters world champion in singles and team events and held titles for eight years. Each day locals would see the regular sight of him going for a two hour paddle in Noosa River.
Glenn lived in Queensland for the rest of his life. Steve Byrne, the Saints’ runner during the 1980s era, and a stalwart of our past players fraternity, kept in touch with him. Steve and Paul Morwood regularly called or texted him for many years after his playing days at St Kilda. Others such as Paul Temay and Peter Melesso were also visitors. Glenn was originally a neighbour of Trevor Barker in Dingley and Barks was godfather to Glenn’s son Luke. Glenn is survived by daughter Elise and Luke.
Vale Saint Glenn.
