Robert 'Bob' Merrick was an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played for Fitzroy

Fitzroy Football Club

The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...

 in the VFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

.

Merrick was originally from Sydney and prior to joining Fitzroy played his football with Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne Football Club

The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne and is currently playing in the Victorian Football League ....

, finishing the 1915 VFA season as the league's leading goalkicker. He debuted for Fitzroy in 1919 and playing as a full-forward, topped Fitzroy's goalkicking every year until he left in 1922, with 42, 53, 32 and 47 goals respectively. Unlucky not to play in a premiership, he missed out on the Maroon's 1922 premiership side due to a knee injury.

He shares with Jack Moriarty

Jack Moriarty

Jack Moriarty was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .- Background :Moriarty, the son of dual Fitzroy premiership player Geoff, was a lightly built full forward who became a spectacular success after leaving Essendon Football Club at the end of 1923 and crossing to...

 the record for most goals in a match by a Fitzroy player, kicking a bag of 12 goals in his club's Round 16 encounter with Melbourne

Melbourne Football Club

The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

 at Brunswick Street Oval

Edinburgh Gardens, Melbourne

Edinburgh Gardens is a large park located in North Fitzroy. It is bounded by Brunswick Street and St Georges Road to the west, the curve of Alfred Crescent to the north and east, and Freeman Street to the south. It was created from a grant of land in March 1862 by Queen Victoria and laid out by...

in 1919. Merrick made a brief comeback in 1926 but could only managed five games.