Whilst Hawthorn lost interest after a poor performance by Pratt in a match, South Melbourne signed him following a recommendation from the Mitcham coach.

[15][16] Leading VFL footballer turned journalist Wallace Sharland complimented Pratt on his pace, stating that he had plenty of "toe".

At the VFL tribunal hearing on Thursday, 7 July 1932, the charge against Pratt was not sustained, as Curcio said that he had no recollection of having been struck.

South Melbourne underwent a massive recruiting drive prior to the 1933 VFL season, recruiting Laurie Nash and Frank Davies from Tasmania, Wilbur Harris and Ossie Bertram from South Australia and Western Australians Joe O'Meara and John Bowe.

Pratt, who kicked 109 goals for the season from eighteen matches, was "idolised by all South fans ... (who) flocked to the Lake Oval and other grounds to see him in action.

Pratt had a disrupted pre-season, barely training and playing only one practice match, yet he kicked eight goals in the first round against Collingwood.

The fruits of victory would not taste so sweet if Pratt failed to reap a bag of half a dozen majors.

On the Thursday night prior to the game he was clipped by a truck carrying five tonnes of bricks moments after he stepped off a tram on High Street, Prahran.

In response to the accident, the South Melbourne Record wrote: The initial attack on the inhabitants of Adowa by Benito Mussolini's invading army upon Emperor Haile Selassie, is no greater shock than that received by SMFC officials when they learned on Thursday afternoon, through the press, that Bob Pratt had been involved in a collision with a motor truck.

[49][50] Pratt walked out on South Melbourne after round eight, 1937, believing club officials considered him part of the furniture and did not see it necessary to offer him the same benefits (such as travel, accommodation and employment) as his interstate teammates like Laurie Nash.

[51][52] Carlton attempted to recruit Pratt, offering to pay him to stand out of football while waiting for a transfer from South Melbourne.

Their persistent feeding, their accuracy in passing, whether low or high, and the all-round ability of the team continually bring the ball forward and give him chances.

As an individual Pratt, with his dogged determination, his battling groundwork, and his intense concentration on the ball, is a good player.

Then his remarkable agility in leaving the ground, his judgment, and his uncanny knack of twisting his body to hold the ball at any angle, make him a wonderful mark.

In April, Pratt announced he was considering a transfer to Victorian Football Association (VFA) club Preston, who were offering him £6.

[50] He advised South Melbourne that, if they would continue to pay him the usual rate of £3 a week and take the risk of his breaking down, he would not consider any other offer.

Pratt received immediate medical attention, including intensive massage treatment, and was later taken, by South Melbourne, to a leading surgeon.

According to Mullaly, Pratt had begun training some two months before the 1938 season had started, and had played well in some of the club's practice games; only to have complained, once again, of ankle problems.

Although not playing, he was retained on South Melbourne's training list and, as a consequence, was receiving £1 a week – and only seemed to become anxious about the condition of his ankle as the closing date for clearances had approached, and had asked for the club to arrange another x-ray.

Mullaly thought that it was "absurd" for Pratt to contemplate gaining a clearance to another club if, in fact, he was not fit to play for South Melbourne.

[56] Suddenly and unexpectedly, on 28 June 1938 (two days before the VFL's clearance applications closed), Pratt appeared at South Melbourne's Tuesday night training session and, despite the medical advice that had been given to him, he declared that, despite his chronic arthritis, he wanted to play again with South Melbourne, and that he would train in earnest, and was hoping (despite his lack of condition, and his long absence from the playing field) to be selected in the next few weeks.

[72] On 26 February 1942, Pratt enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), serving as a corporal in the 7th Medical Receiving Station, defending airfields in the Pacific and in Borneo.

Playing at full-forward, Pratt helped Stores to the 1942 RAAF premiership, kicking three goals in the grand final against the "Rookies".

[76] Pratt then caused a sensation when he attempted a comeback with South Melbourne in 1946 aged 33; he was reported to be marking and kicking at full-forward "in something like his old style" during the pre-season practice matches.

[77][78] Freely granted a clearance from the VFA back to South Melbourne, and looking exceedingly well and seeming keen to play at his best, Pratt kicked two early goals in his return match against Carlton in the first round of the 1946 season.

"[87] Pratt married Olive Sundstrom on 24 August 1935 at All Saints Church of England in St Kilda, after playing against Geelong earlier that day.

[89][90] Pratt had a son, Bob junior, who also played for South Melbourne, but following a string of injuries, retired due to increased business pressures.

Instead, he trained with professional sprinters, which he believed helped him as it built his initial acceleration (essential to any footballer) and aided his kicking accuracy.

[49] His contemporaries were full of praise for his exploits: Sydney named its Leading Goalkicker Award the "Bob Pratt Trophy" for a period in the early 1990s.

[106] In 2009, Along with Bob Skilton and Paul Kelly, Pratt was inaugurated into the Swans Hall of Fame as a "Bloods Legend".