Herman Mattson

One of Ponsonby's more unlucky players when it came to injury, Herman Mattson had his career cut short by a seemingly endless stream of misfortune. He missed two full seasons as a result of being smashed up on the field, but was still good enough to win All Black honours in 1925.

Mattson was born in Auckland on November 4, 1900 and educated at Seddon Tech. He joined Ponsonby in 1916; played in three junior championship teams (1919-21); and was good enough to play a fair bit of senior football at the same time. Compactly built at 5'9" (1.75m) and 11st. 5lb (72kg) he was within a couple of years enough for Auckland. As a second-five or centre he competed against some exceptional players for his place, most notably Bert Cooke and Karl Ifwersen, so the fact he was even considered gives some idea of his quality.

He had four matches in 1922 and was starting to show out as a talent, but little was seen or him for two years. His 1923 season was wrecked by a knee injury which put him on the bank for the duration, while a broken jaw in 1924 had the same effect. In 1925, restored to good health, he had his biggest season.

He showed good club form and was picked to tour Australia with the All Blacks. No members of the 1924/5 "Invincibles" were considered for this team, but it was still a strong side. Mattson played five of the eight matches, but, troubled by a knee injury, only one of the last four. On his return he played five times for Auckland and had his best outing against Canterbury, scoring four tries, a record against Canterbury recently equalled by Bernie Fraser and Joeli Vidiri (twice), but never beaten. Remarkably, that was it as far as first-class rugby was concerned. Mattson broke his collarbone in a club match in 1926, and retired. Three serious injuries were enough.

A banker by profession, he was described as having a rough, gruff exterior and a heart of gold. Unusually for a bank manager of his day, he looked after people down on their luck, especially after the second war. The refugees from Europe, who had suffered enough, were always treated with kindness and consideration, even if bank rules had to be stretched to allow this.

Mattson contented himself with acting as the club's treasurer, and later became the first President of the Old Boys' Association. His rugby contacts served the National Bank well during later years, when a stream of notable football personalities would be knocking at manager Mattson's door. His popularity was certainly worth plenty of business.

Profile courtesy Ponsonby Districts Rugby Football Club.