William 'Digger' Thomas

Who is William 'Digger' Thomas?

William Alfred Benjamin 'Digger' Thomas was an Australian rules footballer who played with East Perth and Subiaco in the West Australian Football League. He is always mentioned in football records with his nickname Digger as there was another William Thomas who was not related, and also appeared for East Perth and won a Sandover Medal just six years after Digger Thomas did.

Thomas, who was born in Broken Hill, started out in the Goldfields Football League where he played for the Warriors. He joined the WAFL in 1911 and played 32 games for Subiaco, including their 1913 premiership team. Thomas had missed their inaugural premiership side the previous year as he had been suspended for striking.

After a season with East Fremantle in 1917, Thomas transferred to East Perth where he would spend the rest of his career. He was a member of six premierships, five of them in succession and won a Sandover Medal in 1923 to become the first ever East Perth player to win the award.

He represented Western Australia in a total of twelve interstate matches, including the 1914, 1921 and 1924 carnivals. At the Sydney Carnival of 1914 he put in a memorable performance in a game against Queensland, kicking 14 goals.