The Football War

In the shadow of the impending Second World War, a battle for control kicked off between two rival factions in Australian Rules football—the powerful upstart Victorian Football League, comprising the strongest inner-city clubs, and the struggling Victorian Football Association, which sought new teams and spectators in Melbourne's growing outer suburbs.

The conflict spilled out of Victoria, inciting division and discord in almost every corner of the country. Woven through Xavier Fowler's lively history are the stories of iconic players whose lives and careers were fundamentally altered by the conflict as they crisscrossed the breach, including Australian Football Hall of Famers Ron Todd, Laurie Nash, Jack Dyer, and Bob Pratt.

From bitter personal rivalries to the lasting impacts on the game itself, The Football War is the untold story of the battle for supremacy on- and off-field, and the fight for the soul of Australian Rules.