Go straight to the biography of your choice by clicking on the appropriate link:
[Edward Hadwen] [Tony Haenen] [Tom Hafey] [Lloyd Hagger] [George Haines] [John Halbert] [Jack Hale] [Alexander Hall] [Alexander 'Pat' Hall] [Clarrie Hall] [Ernie Hall] [Reg Hall] [Sid Hall] [Alfred Halliday] [Richard Halliday] [Jack 'Snowy' Hamilton] [Kerry Hamilton] [Bob Hammond] [Charles Hammond] [Ian Hampshire] [Robert Hancock] [Herbert 'Jim' Handby] [Ken Hands] [Bill Hank] [Bob Hank] [Ray Hank] [Dan Hanley] [Ian Hanna] [Milham Hanna] [Ian Hannaford] [Brett Hannam] [William Hanneysee] [Fred Hansch] [Chris Hansen] [Frank Hansen] [John Hansen] [Gary Hardeman] [Brad Hardie] [Harold Hardiman] [Les Hardiman] [Paul Harding] [Damien Hardwick] [Charlie Hardy] [John Hardy] [Daniel Harford] [Reg Harley] [Len Harman] [Wayne Harmes] [Albert Harper] [Baden Harper] [Bruce Harper] [Keith Harper] [Roy Harper] [Roy T. Harper] [Don Harris] [Fred Harris] [John Harris] [Richard Harris] [William 'Ching' Harris] [Henry Harrison] [Paul Harrison] [Ben Hart] [Darel Hart] [David Hart] [Royce Hart] [Shaun Hart] [Mark Harvey] [Wayne Harvey] [Ross Haslam] [Jack 'Paddy' Hassett] [Phil Haughan] [Harry Haughton] [Keith Haussen] [Harold Hawke] [Neil Hawke] [Glenn Hawker] [Fred Hawking] [Doug Hawkins] [Robb Hawkins] [Ian Hayden] [Doug Hayes] [John Hayes] [Neville Hayes] [Roy Hayes] [John Haygarth] [Henry Richard 'Dick' Head] [Lindsay Head] [Stanley Headon] [Stan Heal] [Des Healey] [Gerard Healy] [Greg Healy] [Thomas Heaney] [Clarence Hearn] [Lindsay Heaven] [Colin Hebbard] [William 'Paddy' Hebbard] [Tom Hedley] [Fred Heifner] [Ned Hender] [Herb Henderson] [John Henderson] [Robert Henderson] [Bill Hendrie] [Ern Henfry] [Ted Henrys] [Ross Henshaw] [Barney Herbert] [John Heriot] [Kim Hetherington] [Arthur 'Reg' Heusler] [Arthur Hewby] [Don Hewett] [Glynn Hewitt]
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by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| An aggressive Mayne ruckman and centre half back of the 1920 and '30s, 'Buckets' Hadwen was a quality performer for Queensland over a seven year period from 1928. He was suspended for one full year after an incident in which brother Albert, also a state team regular, was outed for three years. |
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Tony Haenen (South Melbourne, North Launceston, Port Melbourne)
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| Best remembered for being at the centre of an unsavoury incident during the 1976 VFA grand final between Port Melbourne and Dandenong, Borough utility Tony Haenen actually began, and played most of, his senior career with South Melbourne. Beginning in 1966, Haenen played a total of 93 VFL games for the Swans, mainly as a defender, although he could also provide useful service in the ruck. He finished at South in 1971 and the following year was appointed captain-coach of North Launceston, where he remained for three seasons, representing both the NTFA and Tasmania during that time. In 1975 crossed to Port Melbourne where he added a final 76 senior games to his tally. During the infamous 1976 grand final he was charged with, but ultimately cleared of, physically assaulting a boundary umpire. The day will have had bittersweet connotations for Haenen as the Borough secured the flag with a hefty 57 point win. |
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Tom Hafey (Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong, Sydney)
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| One
of the most successful and inspirational coaches of the post-war era, Tom
Hafey began his senior football life as a tough, relentless back pocket
specialist who played 67 VFL games for Richmond
between 1953 and 1958. It is as a coach that he is better
remembered, however, and his total of 522 games (for a 64.75% success
rate) as a senior VFL coach was only ever bettered by three others.
Tom Hafey's first coaching appointment was not in the VFL, however, but with Goulburn Valley Football League side Shepparton, where he spent five seasons, steering the side to three consecutive flags between 1963 and 1965. The 1966 season saw him back at his old club Richmond where he quickly took a leaf out of his Hawthorn counterpart John Kennedy's book by putting his charges through a gruelling pre-season that made them arguably the fittest ensemble in the competition. After narrowly failing to reach the finals in Hafey's first season in charge the Tigers went all the way in 1967, clinching their first senior flag since 1943 courtesy of a 9 point grand final win over Geelong. Hafey later coached Richmond to further grand finals in 1972-3-4 for wins in the last two of those years. After being controversially sacked as Richmond coach in 1976 he took that year's wooden spooners, Collingwood, to the following year's grand final only to suffer the heartache of a 27 point loss against North Melbourne after a replay. Three further losing grand finals followed during Hafey's five and a half season stint in charge. From 1983-5 Tom Hafey coached Geelong, but was unable to steer the Cats into the finals. He had greater success with Sydney, overseeing finals challenges in 1986-7, both of which ended at the 1st semi final stage. Although the Swans did not achieve premiership success under Hafey, the fact that they reached the finals at all bore persuasive testimony to his prowess as a coach, and undoubtedly helped Australian football gain a toe-hold in essentially 'foreign' territory. In addition to his club endeavours Tom Hafey also coached the VFL, New South Wales and Queensland in the interstate arena. As coach of the VFL, he enjoyed a one hundred per cent record. Given that he was Richmond's most successful ever coach it was no surprise to see Tom Hafey ostensibly placed in charge of the Tigers' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
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| A
durable, clever and often spectacular key position forward, Lloyd Hagger
was particularly renowned for his ability to kick goals from almost any
angle, with either foot. He was also known to have a penchant for
talking incessantly on the field.
Hagger made his Geelong debut in 1917 after being spotted playing for Barwon Thirds by Bert Rankin. He played just 5 games in his debut season, but from 1918 he was a virtual ever present until he retired, after a total of 174 VFL appearances, midway through the 1929 season. Carved out of the same mould as Gary Ablett senior, Lloyd Hagger thought nothing of hurling himself headlong over the top of a pack in a - frequently successful - bid to mark the ball. He was at full forward in Geelong's 1925 premiership-winning side, booting 2 goals, and he topped the VFL goal kicking list the same year. He was the Cats' leading goal kicker on four occasions. A regular interstate player (12 games), he represented the VFL at the 1921 Perth and 1924 Hobart carnivals. |
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George Haines [originally Heinz] (Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda)
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Originally from Geelong College, George Heinz made his VFL debut for Geelong, aged eighteen, in the opening round of the 1910 season against Melbourne. He made an immediately favourable impression, and quickly formed a damaging roving partnership with the equally talented Alec Eason. Cool, clever, and elusive, he was chosen to represent the VFL at the 1911 Adelaide carnival, and again at Sydney three years later when he received a Referee Medal as his state's best player. The last of his 87 games for Geelong was the 1914 semi final against South Melbourne, which the red and whites won by a single straight kick. Owing to anti-German feeling during World War One, George Heinz felt constrained to change his surname to Haines, and it was under that name that he further exhibited his patriotism by joining the AIF. On the resumption of full scale football in 1919 he transferred to Melbourne, which appointed him as captain-coach. He topped the Fuchsias' goal kicking in his debut season at the club, albeit with only 15 goals in a very lean, winless year. He spent seven seasons altogether at Melbourne, including two as captain, and added another 106 VFL games to his ledger. After a year's break from the game, he returned to the VFL in 1927 as coach of St Kilda, adding one more senior game to his tally when the team was short of players, and steering the team to 7th position on the ladder with an 8-10 record. |
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John Halbert (Sturt & Glenelg)
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| Sturt's
John Halbert was a copybook footballer who did almost everything with
almost exaggerated
correctness. A centreman for most of his league career, he was one
of few consistently shining lights in an under-performing Double Blues
team as well as a key player for South Australia, often on a half forward
flank, in 17 interstate games over the better part of a decade.
Halbert made his league debut with Sturt in 1955 and was an immediate success, so much so that he finished runner-up in the Magarey Medal to Lindsay Head of West Torrens. Unfortunately for Halbert, coming second was something he would have to get accustomed to; three years later, he was runner-up to Head once more, and in 1960 he was bested by North Adelaide wingman Barrie Barbary. Finally, following a stellar 1961 season that had also seen him procure selection in the All Australian team after the Brisbane carnival, Halbert broke through for a richly deserved and extremely popular Medal triumph. The Double Blues themselves had endured a nightmare season, winning just 3 of their 19 minor round matches to plummet to the wooden spoon, but their extraordinarily gifted centreman was in a class of his own, and was chosen by the umpire as one of the top three players in a game nine times. He finished with a total of 20 votes, two more than Haydn Linke of Glenelg, and five ahead of the pre-count favourite, West Adelaide's Neil Kerley. In 1962, Halbert took over from Glyn Williams as Sturt captain, and with the arrival at the club as coach of Jack Oatey, his career was about to enter a whole new phase. Under Oatey, the Blues' performances gradually improved, with one of the most significant factors in propelling them from also-rans to champions being the coach's inspired decision, in round 15 1964, to transform his star centreman into the focal point of his team's attack. Somewhat short for a centre half forward at only 179cm, Halbert more than compensated for this with his formidable physical strength and tremendous leaping ability. "Oatey saw something that no one had picked up before," Halbert later recalled (see footnote 1). In 1965, with Halbert firmly installed in his new position, the Blues reached their first grand final since 1941, losing by just 3 points against Port Adelaide. The following year, following the acquisition from West Torrens of star centreman Bob Shearman, Sturt went top, and Halbert's illustrious footballing portfolio was complete. The final two seasons of John Halbert's league career saw him beset by injuries, and although he remained as club skipper he was forced to miss the grand finals of those years, both of which Sturt won. Nevertheless, when he retired he had established a new record for the Blues of 251 games played. Halbert later returned to the SANFL as coach of Glenelg (1979-82) and Sturt (1983-4), but although he was able to steer both clubs to the grand final, he was unable to secure the ultimate prize. |
Footnotes1. Quoted in True Blue; The History of the Sturt Football Club by John Lysikatos, page 185. Return to Main Text |
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Jack Hale (Carlton, South Melbourne, Hawthorn)
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| An extremely vigorous and determined footballer who invariably gave one hundred per cent effort, Jack Hale began his senior career with Carlton as a half forward flanker and also played many games as a defender. However, it is as a rover that he is best remembered, most particularly for a superlative performance in the 1938 grand final defeat of Collingwood. Quite tall and hefty for a 1930s rover at 175cm and 78.5kg, he used his strength to good effect, and was also a fine overhead mark. Between 1933 and 1941 he played a total of 123 VFL games and booted 78 goals for the Blues, as well as representing the VFL at the 1937 Perth carnival. He was forced to retire prematurely aged just twenty-six after breaking his leg. He returned to football as non-playing coach of South Melbourne midway through the 1948 season, and remained at the helm until the end of the following year. He later coached Hawthorn between 1952 and 1959, steering the side to its first ever finals series in 1957. |
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[Click to enlarge] |
| A
key member of Essendon's legendary
Association sides of the 1890s, Alex 'Joker' Hall was a dynamic rover or
half back flanker who went on to enjoy involvement with no fewer than
seven top level clubs over a period spanning four decades. One of a
select group of players to feature in all four of the Same Old's
premiership teams between 1891 and 1894, he took a brief break from
football during the late 1890s but resumed, as good as new, in 1898, by
which time Essendon was in its second season of participation in the
breakaway VFL. Between 1898 and 1902, Hall played a total of 27
games and kicked 19 goals for Essendon, besides spending the entire 1901
season with Preston, which at that
stage in its history was a member of the Victorian Junior Football
Association. In 1904 and 1905 he played with Essendon's
Association side before making a single game VFL comeback, this time
with St Kilda, in 1906 (playing under
the assumed name of Wyberg). He then spent several months in South
Africa.
After returning from South Africa, Hall embarked on a coaching career that took in Melbourne (1907-9 and 1912-14), Richmond (1910), Williamstown (1915 and 1919), and finally Hawthorn (1925 - that club's first VFL season). |
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Alexander 'Pat' Hall (Norwood & Glenelg)
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| Pat
Hall made his SANFL debut with Norwood in
round 10 1948. It proved to be a dream start, as he made a solid
contribution to a 15.10 (100) to 11.12 (78) victory over arch-rivals Port
Adelaide at Alberton. He retained his place in the league team
for the rest of the season, which culminated in the Redlegs downing West
Torrens in the grand final by 57 points. Hall played on a half
forward flank that day, booted a couple of goals, and was among his team's
best players. More typically a ruckman than a half forward, he
was strong, persistent and tireless, with a knack for kicking vital
goals. His initial five season stint at the Parade came to an end in
somewhat more disappointing circumstances, however, when he was helpless
to prevent a crushing, 108 point grand final loss to North
Adelaide in the grand final. Hall was one of Norwood's few good
players that afternoon, but is probably better remembered for being the
human step-ladder for Ian
McKay's gargantuan mark (which you can view here).
In 1953, in what was regarded at the time as a major surprise, he succeeded Johnny Taylor as captain-coach of Glenelg. Aged just twenty-three, it was believed that he still had much to learn in the game, which was undoubtedly true, but it did not prevent him from steering the Tigers to 3rd place in his first season at the club. Fortunes declined dramatically in 1954, however, and the team's tally of just 4 wins from 18 minor round matches consigned it to the wooden spoon. Pat Hall was replaced as Glenelg coach in 1955 by Charlie 'Chooka' May, but he remained at the club for one further season as a player. In 1956, after a total of 47 games for the Tigers, he returned 'home' to Norwood, where he spent the last couple of seasons of his league career, taking his final tally of SANFL games with the club to 98. He also played 5 interstate matches for South Australia. |
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Clarrie Hall (Richmond & Prahran)
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| Extremely diminutive at just 160cm and
63kg, Clarrie Hall was nevertheless a tenacious, skilful and highly
effective rover who enjoyed a long and successful career with two
clubs. He began with Richmond in the VFA,
but after failing to gain a place in the team when it gained admission to
the VFL in 1908 he crossed to Prahran. The
Two Blues had tended to struggle during their first few seasons in the
Association, but Hall helped them to become competitive, and in 1909 he
was a key factor in the side's reaching the VFA premiership decider for
the first time. Unfortunately for Hall, Prahran lost to Brunswick
by 16 points after having led at every change. The Two Blues went
into the match without four of their best players, all of whom had been
sacked after the side lost to Brunswick in the semi final. (The
section on Prahran has further details.)
In 1912, Hall returned to Richmond, and although it took rather longer than at Prahran, he eventually helped the Tigers develop into a force in the VFL. In 1919 they contested their first premiership play-off, losing to Collingwood by 25 points, but the following year they achieved revenge to the tune of 17 points, with Clarrie Hall a popular choice as best afield. When Richmond went 'back to back' in 1921 with a 5.6 (36) to 4.8 (32) challenge final victory over Carlton he was again an important member of the side. Often at his best when the play was tight and torrid, Clarrie Hall combined with Barney Herbert and Dave Moffatt late in his career to give Richmond one of the finest first ruck combinations seen in the VFL up to that point. When he retired in 1924 he had played a total of 150 senior VFL games for the Tigers, and booted 169 goals. |
|
by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| Ernie Hall was a Darling Downs-born Mayne junior who played senior football through the 1920s-30s with arch rivals Windsor. He captained his club, took best and fairest honours, and won played in four premiership teams. He was labelled the 'tin hare' (a greyhound lure) by New South Wales after dominating interstate clashes with his speed and skill. Hall played for Queensland from 1926 to 1934, and in a career highlight was 6th in the best and fairest medal at the 1930 carnival in Adelaide, which included such names as Cazaly, Titus and Coventry. |
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| Recruited locally by East Perth Reg Hall gave the club 78 games of solid service, mainly as a rover, between 1956 and 1960, during which time he booted 135 goals. A smooth running, pacy type, and an excellent kick, he was a member of the Royals' winning grand final teams of 1958 against East Fremantle and 1959 against Subiaco, kicking a couple of goals in each match and earning prominent mention in dispatches after the latter. His last game for the club was the losing grand final of 1960 against West Perth. In 1959, he represented a Western Australian second eighteen against Hawthorn. Reg Hall's older brother Arthur had earlier played league football for East Perth during the 1930s and '40s. |
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Sid Hall (Preston & Northcote)
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| Described
in 'The Australasian' as "the crack high mark of the
Association", Sid Hall was a stalwart of Preston's
early VFA sides. He began with the club during its early Victorian
Junior Football Association days, continued in 1903 when it entered the
VFA, and remained there throughout what was a time of almost risible
under-achievement, until 1911. The following year, when Preston
underwent a forced 'merger' with Northcote -
it was actually tantamount to a take-over - Hall elected to play with the
Brickfielders, while a team calling itself Preston embarked on a decade
and a half stint in the VJFA.
Hall played for much of his career as a centre half back, in which position he represented the VFA in matches against against South Australia. In 1915, he joined Preston's VJFA team as captain-coach, but any long term coaching aspirations were thwarted by the war. Sid Hall's two brothers, Parry and 'Dooey', also represented Preston with distinction prior to the Great War. |
| Alf Halliday was a fine full forward who topped Perth's goal kicking list in four of his six seasons with the club, and was the league's top goal kicker in 1913 with 46 goals, 1914 (38) and 1916 (38). He played a total of 76 games for the Redlegs between 1911 and 1914 and in 1916 and 1922. He resumed his league career in 1922 despite the not inconsiderable handicap of having lost an eye in World War One. Alf Halliday remains the only Perth player to have topped the league goal kicking ladder on three occasions. |
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| Richard Halliday was a talented goal kicking rover whose promising league career with Glenelg was cut short by World War Two. Between 1937 and 1941, however, he was one of the best small men in the SANFL, playing 48 games and kicking 95 goals. He also played interstate football for South Australia twice. |
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Jack Hamilton (North Adelaide, Subiaco, West Adelaide)
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| Possessed
of exhilarating pace, extraordinary fluidity and grace of movement, deft
ball handling skills, and aerial prowess of the highest order it is small
wonder that Jack Hamilton was accorded the title by his contemporaries of
‘the Prince of Footballers’. Of course, this was very much a
contemporary assessment, made at a time when footballers tended to be
judged first and foremost in terms of the ability they displayed rather
than the competition in which they performed. This perhaps goes a long way
towards explaining the omission of ‘the Prince of Footballers’ from the
AFL’s much vaunted, but often singularly myopic, ‘Hall of Fame’.
Along with Walter Scott of Norwood and South Adelaide’s Dan Moriarty Hamilton formed what, by common tradition, has come to be regarded as South Australia’s greatest ever half back line. Of the three players, Hamilton was arguably the most eye-catching (and not merely because of his blond, vote-attracting hair, which gave rise to the nickname ‘Snowy’). During the 1921 Perth interstate carnival among the many pairs of eyes to be caught by Hamilton’s effervescent displays included those belonging to the committee of the Subiaco Football Club. Negotiations soon began aimed at luring Hamilton west. However, for the 1922 season he contented himself with a much smaller move westwards – from North Adelaide to West Adelaide. At the end of the season Hamilton joined his West Adelaide team mates on an end of year jaunt to Perth, and once there the Maroons’ courting could resume in earnest. The upshot of it all was that the 1923 season saw ‘Snowy’ Hamilton residing in Perth, and bedecked each Saturday afternoon in the maroon and gold of the Subiaco Football Club. Had this move occurred half a century or more later there is no doubt that Hamilton would have ended up in Melbourne rather than Perth. However, the sport of Australian football in the 1920s was a much more egalitarian affair than it has since become, a fact for which supporters of the Lions can be eternally grateful. Football history is replete with the stories of big name imports who flopped. ‘Snowy’ Hamilton was not one of them. Right from the very start he performed magnificently, and for two seasons he provided the Maroons with everything and more they could have wanted, winning consecutive club best and fairest awards, captaining the side to the 1924 premiership, and representing his adopted state with distinction in both years. In all, Hamilton played a total of 16 games of interstate football, 7 of which were for his home state, and 9 for Western Australia. A hiccough came in 1925, however, when Hamilton decided to take up an offer to return home to coach West Adelaide, a protracted, and ultimately unresolved, clearance dispute meaning that he was forced to undertake this role in a purely non-playing capacity. Frustration over this state of affairs, coupled with West’s failure to qualify for the major round, saw Hamilton returning to Subi in time for the start of the 1926 season. Playing chiefly as a centreman he spent a further five successful seasons in the west before returning to his original club, North Adelaide, in 1931. He retired just over a year later at the age of thirty-three. In the opinion of many astute contemporary observers Jack Hamilton was not far short of being the greatest footballer ever. Perth journalist Harry Potter for instance rated Hamilton as better even than Haydn Bunton, calling him "the cleverest footballer.....a player of almost uncanny skills, cool and resourceful, whatever the situation [see footnote 1]." Unfortunately the lenses through which most people are compelled to view the history of football, tinted as they are ‘Big V blue' after years of unbridled revisionism and distortion, mean that assessments as ingenuous as Potter’s are unlikely ever to be accorded the credence or the prominence they deserve. |
Footnotes1. From 'The Western Mail', 19/6/24, and quoted in Diehards: the Story of the Subiaco Football Club 1896-1945 by Ken Spillman, page 89. Back to Main Text |
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[Click to enlarge] |
| Having
been recruited from Loxton, Kerry Hamilton made his league debut with Glenelg
in 1967. The Tigers at the time lacked tall forwards and Hamilton,
despite standing only 179cm in height, was required to play most of his 14
games for the year at full forward. The ostensible reasons were that
he was quick, and possessed a good leap, but he found the going extremely
tough. Things improved in 1968, however, when he was shifted to a
half forward flank, where his pace, strength and elusiveness came to the
fore, and in 1969 he was a serviceable member of the side that reached the
grand final, only to lose heavily to Sturt.
Hamilton spent the 1971 season back in the country, and when he resumed
the following year he seemed lethargic and was clearly carrying a fair
amount of excess weight. After a mediocre season, coach Neil
Kerley challenged him to knuckle down in 1973, or risk ending up on
the football scrapheap. Hamilton's response was little short of
sensational: playing in the centre, he was dynamic, authoritative and
inspirational - and arguably the single biggest reason behind the Bays'
surge up the ladder from 6th place in 1972 to a resounding and thoroughly
deserved premiership success (reviewed here).
At season's end, Hamilton won Glenelg's best and fairest award by a
'country mile' from another Loxton boy, Rex
Voigt.
After two more seasons in the big time, Kerry Hamilton called it a day. He had played a total of 120 SANFL games, and booted 98 goals. Somewhat surprisingly, especially given his immaculate form during 1973, he never represented the state. |
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Bob Hammond (North Adelaide, Norwood, Sydney)
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| Born
in Perth, but recruited from local side Kilburn, Bob
Hammond spent four seasons going through the ranks at North
Adelaide before making his senior debut in 1960. He could not
have chosen a more auspicious year, as the Roosters put in their best
season since 1952 to lift the premiership, with Hammond starring in their
grand-final winning team against Norwood in
the key defensive position that, apart from a brief spell coaching in Port
Pirie, he would call his own for much of the next decade and a half.
Hefty in build, Hammond nevertheless had formidable pace, and often backed his judgement to telling effect. He was also strong in the air, and a prodigious kick. When South Australia scored its noteworthy win over the VFL at the MCG in 1963 (click here for details), Bob Hammond was a key member of the team, charged with the difficult job of minding Victorian sharpshooter Doug Wade. All told, Hammond made a total of 8 appearances for his state. Some of Bob Hammond's best football was played towards the end of his career under the astute Victorian coach Mike Patterson. Under Patterson, the Roosters won consecutive flags in 1971-2 as well as the 1972 championship of Australia (reviewed here), and Hammond was heavily instrumental in all three wins. Arguably his finest ever performance, however, came in a match that North Adelaide failed to win - the 1973 grand final against Glenelg, comprehensive details of which can be viewed here. After 234 games for North, Hammond accepted the post of captain-coach of the Norwood Football Club in 1974. Despite initial misgivings on the part of many Redlegs members and supporters, Hammond, who retired as a player at the end of the 1974 season after adding a further 14 games to his tally, proved himself to be one of the finest coaches in the club's history, overseeing premierships in 1975 and 1978. He later had a brief stint as coach of Sydney, as well as leading the South Australian state of origin team to its first ever victory over Victoria in 1983. Bob Hammond's last major job in football was as inaugural chairman of the Adelaide Football Club, in which capacity he served from 1991 to 2000. When North Adelaide chose its official 'Team of the Century' in 2001, Bob Hammond was included in the back pocket. |
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Charles Hammond (Northcote & Carlton)
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| After
commencing his senior career with Northcote
during that club's pre-VFA days, Charlie Hammond crossed to Carlton
in 1906, just in time to participate in arguably the most auspicious era
in the side's history. A tough, hard-hitting defender with
Northcote, Hammond began his Blues career as a half back - in which
position he starred in the 1906 grand final - before being transformed by
coach Jack
Worrall into a relentlessly combative ruck shepherd.
During his 136 game VFL career, which ended in 1918, Hammond would play in no fewer than five premiership teams. From 1910-12, however, he returned to Northcote, which was by that stage a member of the VFA, after falling out with the Carlton club hierarchy over the controversial dismissal of coach Worrall. In 1913 he stood out of football completely, but the following year the Blues enticed him back for what turned out to be a glittering finale to his career, capped by inspirational performances in the club's 1914-15 flag wins. |
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Ian Hampshire (Geelong & Footscray)
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| Solid and hard-working rather than
spectacular, Ian 'Bluey' Hampshire nevertheless gave fine service to two
league clubs during the course of a fifteen season VFL career.
Originally from Portland, he joined Geelong
in 1968 and played 113 senior games for the Cats over the next eight
seasons, often in the role of a secondary ruckman because the Cats had
other fine ruckmen at the time who were sometimes regarded more highly
than the gritty but slow Hampshire. In 1976, he crossed to Footscray,
only to find himself, initially at least, confronted by a similar
situation in that he was rated lower in the pecking order than Gary
Dempsey, who was arguably one of the greatest ruckmen of all
time. Once Dempsey had departed in 1979, however, Hampshire
blossomed, finishing runner-up in the club's best and fairest award that
same year, and earning a belated Victorian jumper in 1981.
Ian Hampshire was appointed to replace Royce Hart as Footscray coach midway through the 1982 season, and promptly retired as a player after 111 senior games for the Bulldogs. His appointment came too late to prevent the ignominy of a wooden spoon in 1982, but he remained at the helm the following year when he oversaw a creditable 7th place finish. |
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| The archetypal small player with a big heart, Bobby Hancock had a comparatively brief but noteworthy league career with St Kilda, playing 56 games and kicking 48 goals between 1946 and 1950. His best season was 1948 when he played 3 interstate games for the VFL, and won his club's best and fairest award. Most of Hancock's football was played as a rover. Diminutive though he was (168cm, 67kg) he was a strong overhead mark, while he boasted, in good measure, all the attributes traditionally associated with the best rovers - pace, elusiveness, excellent ball handling skills, and tremendous stamina. He was also an extremely accurate kick, over both long and short distances. |
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Herbert 'Jim' Handby (South Adelaide & Glenelg)
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| Blessed
(or laden) with the forenames 'Herbert Harry', but invariably referred to
simply as 'Jim', Handby enjoyed an auspicious league football career at
two clubs. Beginning with South
Adelaide in 1922, he quickly developed into one of the foremost
defenders in South Australia, and when regular state half back flanker 'Snowy'
Hamilton moved to Perth in 1923, Handby put his hand up as a ready
made replacement.
In 1925, after 32 games in three seasons with South, Handby joined Glenelg, which had yet to procure a win in four seasons in league ranks, but after a brilliant Handby-inspired win over the previous year's premier, West Torrens, in round one the Seasiders' supporters could be forgiven for imagining that their new recruit was the football equivalent of a winning lottery ticket. Sadly, it did not prove that way, as Glenelg still had several years of apprenticeship to serve, but the fact that Handby himself was an accomplished footballer of the highest order became increasingly difficult to refute as he put in performance after performance of immense resolve, conviction and fortitude. Handby won Glenelg's club champion award (the first of two) in 1925, and represented South Australia with distinction on 5 occasions. In 1926 and '27 he served as the club's captain-coach, a role he resumed after a two season break in 1930. When he finally retired in 1932 he had played a total of 123 games for the Bays. Never what you would describe as a classically brilliant player, there were few who could match him for perseverance and all round effectiveness. His Magarey Medal win in 1928 was generally lauded, and although he had retired by the time of Glenelg's sensational 1934 grand final defeat of Port Adelaide (reviewed here), there can be little doubt that he materially paved the way for that triumph by his efforts as club coach during the early '30s. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A
complete footballer, Ken Hands was pinched by Carlton
from right under the noses of his local club, Geelong.
If that was controversial, it was nothing compared to what was to
come. Hands' debut season with Carlton was 1945, which as every
football fan worth his or her salt knows was the year of the
infamous 'Bloodbath' grand final, in which the Blues defeated South
Melbourne. Play was spiteful and willing all day, but the event
which precipitated the ugliest and most sustained melee of the afternoon
was Ken Hands getting unceremoniously pole axed while the ball was being
ferried back to the centre of the ground after a Carlton goal. The
all in brawl which ensued while the comatose Hands was being helped from
the ground only ended after the half time siren.
Hands later returned to the fray and booted 3 goals in a display of rare but by no means uncharacteristic courage. Over the next dozen seasons he acquired a reputation as one of the game's toughest, most courageous, and most accomplished footballers. Skilful on the ground and strong overhead, he was one of the most elegant drop kicks in the game. Whether playing at centre half forward or leading the ruck he was almost invariably effective, and always inspirational. He captained the Blues from 1952 to 1957, but they had declined a power by this time, and never finished higher than 4th. On the interstate front, however, Hands enjoyed considerable success; he made a total of twelve Big V appearances, and served as state captain in 1957. In addition, his selection as first ruckman in the 1953 and 1954 'Sporting Life' Teams of the Year served to emphasise his high standing in the game. In 1959, two years after retiring as a player, Hands returned to Carlton as coach. He steered the Blues to a losing grand final against Essendon in 1962, but two years later he had to step down after overseeing the worst season in the club's history up to that point. For his playing prowess, however, he warrants a high place in Carlton's all time 'hall of fame', a fact that was confirmed when he was selected in a forward pocket in the club's official 'Team of the Century'. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Although he played for most of his career in the shadow of his illustrious older brother Bob, Bill Hank was a fine player in his own right. Capable of doing a good job in any key position, he played 183 games and booted 77 goals for West Torrens between 1946 and 1955, and only once missed a match through injury. He played on a half forward flank in the winning grand final of 1953 against Port Adelaide (reviewed here), having played an exceptional game in the losing premiership play-off of four years earlier against North Adelaide. Somewhat unfairly perhaps, Bill Hank was the only one of the three Hank brothers not to play interstate football. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Bob
Hank first played League football in 1944 as a member of the Port
Adelaide-West Torrens wartime combination which lost that year's grand
final to Norwood-North
Adelaide. Playing chiefly at half forward right Hank enjoyed a
successful season, and his good form continued the following year when
full-scale League football resumed. Now playing in the blue and gold
of West Torrens Hank was selected in the
South Australian team which overwhelmed a Victorian combination which,
despite being exclusively comprised of RAAF personnel, was regarded as the
VFL's first 'official' post war interstate team.
This game proved to be just the start of a glittering 27 game interstate career for Hank whom opposing states quickly learned to view as 'public enemy number one' on account of his immense courage combined with tantalising elusiveness and superlative ball skills. On the club front Hank was among the best players afield in the 1945 grand final when, playing at centre, he helped steer Torrens to a memorable 13 point win over erstwhile partners Port Adelaide. Other highlights of Hank's career included the 1946 and 1947 Magarey Medals, no fewer than 9 club best and fairest awards (including 6 in succession between 1945 and 1950), selection in the first ever All Australian team, chosen after the 1953 Adelaide carnival, and membership of West Torrens' last ever premiership team the same year. When he retired in 1958 he had played a total of 224 league games. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Despite being overshadowed to a certain extent by his illustrious brother Bob, West Torrens rover Ray Hank was universally recognised as a fine player in his own right. Effervescently energetic, skilful, and cheeky as a schoolboy, he played 169 league games and kicked 188 goals for the blue and golds between 1946 and 1957, besides representing South Australia on 5 occasions. He was one of Torrens' best players in the losing grand final of 1949 against North Adelaide, while four years later he had the satisfaction of playing in a premiership team as Port Adelaide was vanquished on grand final day by 7 points (match reviewed here). |
|
Dan Hanley (South Ballarat & Essendon)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Dan Hanley made his senior debut with South Ballarat in 1903 and went on to enjoy an auspicious, twelve season career in both the the BFA/L and the VFL. Fleet of foot, strong overhead, and an excellent kick, he played most of his football in defence, but also liked to take a turn on the ball. He crossed to Essendon in 1911 and went on to make 67 senior appearances in a row. Included in that sequence were strong performances in the winning grand finals of 1911 (against Collingwood) and 1912 (against South Melbourne). After a match in the 1912 season he became the centre of controversy when he alleged that he had been deliberately impeded by a boundary umpire. His league career came to an end in unsavoury circumstances when he was reported during the penultimate home and away game of the 1914 season against Carlton. As a result, he incurred a suspension of 8 matches, and never played again. Shortly afterwards, he joined the armed services, and spent most of the war on active service abroad. When he returned to Melbourne he became a patron of the Essendon Football Club. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Ian Hanna was a stalwart servant of the West Torrens Football Club in precisely 200 league games between 1978 and 1990. Popularly known as 'Scruff', he was highly tenacious and determined, and a great favourite among West Torrens' fans. A left footer, he was excellent overhead, while his disposal skills, by both hand and foot, improved the longer his career went on. He won a club best and fairest award in 1983. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Recruited
from East Brunswick, Milham Hanna made his Carlton
debut in 1986. Within just a few minutes he was being stretchered
from the ground in agony, having damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, a
serious injury from which recovery was by no means certain. However,
Hanna was determined to make a go of his football career, and did
everything the doctors and coaches asked of him during his 13 months
recovery phase. When he resumed, he had lost nothing in pace, and
had also bulked up considerably, enabling him to cope far better with the
hurly burly of VFL football. "I was only a skinny kid back
then," he later explained, "and there was nothing else for me to
do for 12 months but do weights. So I spent the whole year in the
weight room, which was a blessing in disguise." (See
footnote 1)
Known by admiring Carlton supporters as 'the Cranium' (for a reason which requires no explanation), Hanna was especially renowned for his speed, ball skills and prodigious kicking ability. Even towards the end of his playing career, he still regularly beat all of his team mates over electronically timed dashes of 10, 15 and 40 metres. Mil Hanna was at his best during the first half of the 1990s, gaining AFL All Australian selection in 1992 and finishing runner up to Stephen Kernahan in the Carlton best and fairest voting the same year. Named on a half back flank in Carlton's losing grand final team of 1993 Hanna was on a wing two years later as the Blues annihilated Geelong. The only Lebanese footballer to play the game at its highest level, he retired after the 1997 season with 182 League games to his credit. |
Footnotes1. Quoted in 'Bare, Bald and Blue' by Mark Harding, from 'Sports Weekly', 3 May 1995, page 58. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally
from Riverton in South Australia's Lower Mid North region, Ian Hannaford
enjoyed a comparatively brief but auspicious career with
Port Adelaide. A formidable specimen physically, he was
frequently one of South Australia's best players against the VFL, as well
as one of Port's most consistent players in finals. Mobile and quick
as well as powerful, he performed equally well as a knock ruckman as at
centre half forward, often alternating between the two positions during
the same game, as he did to great effect during arguably his finest, or at
any rate most significant performance of all, in the 1962 grand final win
over West Adelaide.
Between 1958 and 1964, Hannaford played a total of 123 games for Port Adelaide, and booted 108 goals. He was a member of premiership-winning teams in 1958, 1962 and 1963. His 17 interstate appearances for South Australia included games at the 1961 Brisbane carnival, and the famous win over the VFL at the MCG in 1963. |
|
Brett Hannam (Ainslie & Central District)
|
| Voted
Ainslie's best and fairest player as a 20 year
old in 1980, Sydney-born Brett Hannam took part the same year in the ACT's highly
memorable 13 point win over the supposedly indestructible 'Big V' in
Canberra. In 1982, Hannam was a member of arguably the
best club team seen in Canberra up to that point, as Kevin 'Cowboy'
Neale's irrepressible combination swept all before it en route to a
comprehensive, unbeaten premiership. After Ainslie went top again
the following year, 'the Cowboy' accepted the post of senior coach at
SANFL club Central
District, and Hannam and team mate Stephen Nolan went along with
him. All three made immediate impacts, with Hannam's tremendous
reliability and mature demeanour making him one of the Bulldogs' best
performers in what, until the finals at any rate, proved to be an
excellent season. In 1985,
Centrals appointed Hannam as club skipper, whereupon he maintained a tradition,
unbroken since the club's inception, of wearing the number one jumper (see
footnote 1). He was described in the 'South Australian
Football Budget' that year as "an exciting defender with a fierce
approach to the ball, strong overhead marking ability and a very
impressive work rate" (see footnote 2).
All told, Brett Hannam played a total of 45 games for the Bulldogs before returning home to contribute to another ACTAFL premiership with Ainslie in 1987. An outstanding 1987 season was rewarded by selection in the ACT's team for the 1988 bicentennial state of origin carnival in Adelaide at which the ACT lost both matches played, but were by no means disgraced. When Ainslie proceeded to dominate ACT football during the early 1990s, Brett Hannam remained very much at the forefront of the club's success. In 1990 he was the recipient of the ACT's major annual media award, presented by radio station FM 104.7. |
Footnotes1. Bulldogs By The Numbers by Robert Laidlaw, page 5. The following season, Hannam's replacement as Centrals' captain, Rene van Dommele, finally broke with tradition by opting to retain his trademark number 32 guernsey. Return to Main Text 2. 'SANFL Football Budget', 27/4/85, page 14. Return to Main Text |
|
William Hanneysee (Carlton & Port Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Most
of Billy Hanneysee's football career was spent playing with the Sandridge
Football Club, precursor of VFA side Port Melbourne. In 1884,
Sandridge was renamed Port Melbourne, and
Hanneysee chose that year to test the water in the VFA by joining Carlton.
He spent just one year with the Blues, however, and when, in 1886, Port
Melbourne was admitted to the VFA, Hanneysee was very much back in the
fold, where he was to remain for the rest of his career.
A fine all round sportsman, Hanneysee could have succeeded in virtually any sport he chose, but fortunately for football, and for the supporters of the Port Melbourne Football Club in particular, it was to the oval ball game that he devoted most of his energy and attention. Short in stature with a shock of dark curly hair, Hanneysee's ability to get the ball, and then gain valuable yardage for his team with fast weaving runs through the swirling mass of players who wrestled for possession, made him a natural on-ball player - the consummate rover. He was also a regular goal scorer, an extremely valuable attribute in times when four or five goals was a high score for a team. (See footnote 1) Hanneysee, in point of fact, was the Borough's leading goal kicker in 1886, 1888 and 1889 with tallies of 16, 31 and 17 goals respectively. Always a strong-willed personality, Hanneysee fell out with the Port Melbourne committee at the end of the 1889 season and, after publicly crossing swords on several occasions over the ensuing couple of years, ultimately opted, after just 95 VFA games, to hang up his boots. He later became a successful VFA umpire. |
Footnotes1. A Taste Of Port by Terry Keenan, pages 35-6. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Footballers like Fred Hansch may not be household names but, in a real sense, they represent the lifeblood of the game. Unlikely to win best and fairest awards or represent the state, they nevertheless provide loyal and effective service over a long period of time - in Hansch's case, almost a decade - whilst simultaneously helping to embellish and extend a club's tradition. A tall, thin ruckman who marked well and was a useful kick, he had a good season with Woodville Seconds in 1964, and was granted his senior debut the next year. Between 1965 and 1972 he was a regular member of the 'Peckers' league twenty, doing his job quietly but effectively, and playing a total of 146 SANFL games. Prior to the 1969 season he had actually announced his retirement, but he was quickly coaxed or cajoled into resuming, much to the Woodpeckers' benefit. |
|
Chris Hansen (Fitzroy & Footscray)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Old Trinity Grammarians, where he won the 1976 Woodrow Medal, Chris Hansen was a solid, hard working footballer who gave particularly good value when asked to play a negating role on a tall opposition forward or resting ruckman. Excellent overhead, and powerful, he was hard to beat one on one, and teamed well with his fellow backmen. He spent the majority of his VFL career with Fitzroy, where he played 101 games and kicked 17 goals between 1977 and 1982. In 1983 he moved to Footscray and added a final 28 games and 1 goal over the course of that season and the next. |
|
Frank Hansen (South Adelaide & Port Adelaide)
|
| In
1903 Frank
Hansen began his league football career with South
Adelaide, whose goal kicking list he is known to have topped in 1907
with 24 goals, 1908 (28) and 1909 (20) (see footnote 1), but it was at Port
Adelaide, where he went in 1910, that he really made his name.
Hansen topped the league goal kicking that season, and each of the
subsequent three, with tallies of 46, 41, 37 and 39 goals. His 7
interstate appearances produced 19 goals. He was
South Australia's full forward at the 1911
Adelaide carnival, and was a key member of Port's 1910 and 1913
premiership sides. He also helped Port defeat Collingwood
in 1910 and Fitzroy three years later to
secure the Australian
club championship. All told, his Port career comprised 58 games
between 1910 and 1914, during which he booted 163 goals.
After the war, Frank Hansen returned to Port as senior coach, and was at the helm when the side beat Norwood 4.8 (32) to 3.6 (24) in the challenge final. He retired as coach at the end of the 1923 season, having also served the club as a committeeman, selector and, in 1919-20, chairman. |
Footnotes1. Statistical details kindly supplied by South Adelaide's official historian, John Althorp. Hansen is known to have played for South in 1903, to have missed the 1905-6 seasons, and to have played 33 games for the club between 1907 and 1909. He is also presumed to have played for South in 1904, although no actual records confirming this can be located, because in 1909 he received a five year service award from the club. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| 'Jack' Hansen (the spelling of his surname on the above card is incorrect) was a prominent footballer for South Adelaide in 1899 and 1900 and between 1902 and 1908. Something of a jack-of-all-trades, he was equally at home as a follower, defender, or in the centre. His final games tally is uncertain, but is likely to have been well in excess of 50. He was granted a five year service award by South, the same year that saw him captain the club to a 4th place finish. Hansen was a well known figure at Tatersalls Club, and at the races. |
|
Gary Hardeman (Melbourne & Sturt)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally
from Moorabbin Technical School, Gary Hardeman progressed through the
ranks at Melbourne before making his senior
debut in 1967. During his first few seasons he gave no indication of
being anything particularly special, but as the '70s dawned he suddenly
blossomed into one of the finest half backs, and indeed players, in the
VFL. Dogged, determined and relentless, he seldom lowered his
colours for an entire game. He became a near automatic interstate
selection for the 'Big V', and won All
Australian honours after the 1972
Perth carnival. In 1974 he finished runner-up in the Brownlow
Medal with 23 votes, 4 adrift of winner Keith
Greig - a highly noteworthy achievement for a permanent defender.
Between 1978 and 1980, Hardeman played 44 SANFL matches for Sturt, plus 3 for South Australia. He was still very much at his peak as a footballer, and must rank as one of the greatest ever Victorians to transfer across the border. In 1981 he returned home to Melbourne where he played one more season, taking his final tally of VFL games to 219. The high esteem in which Gary Hardeman is held at Melbourne was emphasised during the 2000 season when he was selected at centre half back in the Demons' official 'Team of the Century'. |
|
Brad Hardie (South Fremantle, Footscray, Brisbane, Collingwood)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Brad
Hardie is perhaps best remembered for being one of the most highly
decorated footballers of all time. A member of South
Fremantle's 1980 premiership team, for whom he booted 3 goals from a
forward pocket after starting on the interchange bench, Hardie also won
South's best and fairest award in 1982. He won both the Tassie
Medal and a Simpson
Medal (for Western Australia against Victoria) in 1984 and joined Footscray
the following year, causing a sensation by winning the Brownlow
Medal after a series of eye-catching, tear away performances from the
back pocket. His fine form continued in 1986 when he created history
by becoming the first, and to date only, player ever to win two Tassie
Medals. For good measure, he also won a second Simpson Medal after
another best afield performance against the Vics. However, a highly publicised contretemps with Footscray
coach Michael Malthouse precipitated Hardie's departure from the Western
Oval and the 1987 season saw him taking the field at Carrara with the
fledgling Brisbane Bears.
Playing in a variety of roles with the Bears Hardie's performances never quite recaptured the verve and panache which had characterised his time with the Western Australian and Victorian Bulldogs. Nevertheless, he twice topped the Brisbane goal kicking list, and was the first player at the club to reach 100 games. Hardie moved to Collingwood in 1991 but, with his best years clearly behind him, he failed to ignite, and after two erratic seasons decided to call it a day. Overall, and perhaps ironically, given the fact that he was the recipient of so many awards, the consensus of opinion on Hardie's career would possibly be that he under-achieved. Nevertheless, during his peak years of the mid-1980s, with his trademark long-sleeved jumper (see footnote 1), flame red hair, and effervescent dashes out of the Footscray or Western Australian backlines, he was one of Australia's most instantly recognisable, and highly talented, footballers. |
Footnotes1. Hardie habitually wore a long-sleeved playing jumper in order to hide from view the scars which covered his arms, legacy of serious burns received as a child. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Despite
not taking up football until his late teams, Harold Hardiman, who while
with Geelong always went by the nickname
'Peter' to avoid confusion with teammate Harold Craven, developed into a
highly skilled follower. A member of Geelong grand final-winning
teams in 1931 and 1937, he was one of the best players afield in the
former match. Recruited from Chilwell, Hardiman made his Geelong
debut in 1927, two years before his younger brother Les
arrived at the club, and went on to give the Cats twelve years of sterling
service over 160 games. His selfless style was such that he seldom
attracted plaudits in the way of media accolades or Brownlow
votes, but he was held in great esteem by everyone at Geelong because of
his wholehearted and energetic devotion to the team cause.
Hardiman, who was one of the last regular exponents of the place kick to play for the Cats, was selected to represent the VFL in 1931. |
|
Les 'Splinter' Hardiman (Geelong & Subiaco)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Six
years younger than his brother Harold,
Les 'Splinter' Hardiman was arguably the more gifted all round player of
the two. Renowned for his ability seemingly to 'hang' in the air,
Hardiman (number 25 in the above photo, taken during the 1937 grand final
against Collingwood) could hold down full
back, centre half forward and full forward with equal assurance.
Recruited, like his brother, from Chilwell, he
made his Geelong debut in 1929, and went on
to play 135 VFL games for the Cats, including the winning grand finals of
1931 and 1937, booting a total of 236 goals, and winning the club's best
and fairest award in 1933. He also made 5 interstate appearances for
the VFL.
In 1938, Les Hardiman joined Haydn Bunton senior and Keith Shea in transferring to Subiaco, where he added a further 65 league games over the next four seasons. In 1938 he played two games for his adopted state against South Australia, while two years later he won the Maroons' fairest and best award. |
|
Paul Harding (East Fremantle, Hawthorn, St Kilda, West Coast)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Ostensibly a knock ruckman, Paul Harding boasted all the aggression, intelligence and strength typically associated with the role, but combined it with the general mobility and all round skill of a ruck-rover, making him in effect almost two players in one. He commenced his league career with East Fremantle in 1981, having joined the club from Riverton, and by the mid-1980s was being widely hailed as the finest ruckman in Western Australia. He made his interstate debut in 1983, and both that year and the next helped Western Australia secure the national title. He went on to represent his state a dozen times, with arguably his finest performance coming in the 19.13 (127) to 7.9 (51) annihilation of Victoria at Subiaco in 1991, when he was awarded the Simpson Medal. By that time, Harding was playing his club football in the AFL, for St Kilda. His first port of call when leaving East Fremantle in 1987 had actually been Hawthorn, but in two injury ruined seasons he had only managed 11 senior games. He was much more successful with the Saints, for whom he impressed as one of the most effective and brainiest big men in the competition. In 1992, after 62 games in three seasons at St Kilda, he returned home to the west and joined West Coast, where he had in fact initially wanted to play back in 1987. Harding played 43 games in three years with the Eagles, including the grand final win over Geelong in 1992. He completed his senior career back at East Fremantle for whom he had played a total of 112 league games by the time he retired in 1996. Included among those games were the winning grand finals of 1985 against Subiaco (reviewed here) and 1994 against Claremont. |
|
Damien Hardwick (Springvale, Essendon, Port Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Something
of a late developer by modern standards, Damien Hardwick was almost
twenty-two years of age when he made his senior AFL debut for Essendon
in 1994. Prior to that he had spent time with North
Melbourne reserves, Springvale in the
VFA, and in the twos at Essendon where he won a best and fairest award in
1993. His promotion to the senior side was, in part, a result of a
conscious elevation in determination and effort, and he quickly developed
into a top quality defender. Tough, courageous and steely, he was no
stranger to the league tribunal, particularly in his early years, but
there could be no question that, on balance, his supremely aggressive
approach was of benefit to his team, not least in the inspiration and
reassurance it gave to his team mates. As the 1990s progressed, so
Hardwick's form and consistency improved; he won the Bombers' best and
fairest award in 1998, and two years later made a significant contribution
to the club's almost indefatigable march to the premiership, earning AFL
All Australian selection in the process. The dream ride did not
continue for long, however, as at the end of the 2001 season, after 153
AFL games and 13 goals for the club, salary cap restrictions forced the
Bombers to trade him to Port Adelaide.
Hardwick continued to display good, if somewhat less consistent, form with his new club, playing 54 games and kicking 1 goal in three seasons. His final game for the Power was the winning grand final of 2004 against Brisbane. |
|
Charlie Hardy (North Melbourne, Essendon, Coburg, St Kilda)
[Click to enlarge] |
| One
of the smallest men to play top level senior football at just 156cm and
well under 60kg, Charlie Hardy was nevertheless one of the finest rovers
of his era. Most of his career was spent with North
Melbourne, for whom he starred in VFA premiership victories in 1910,
1914, 1915 and 1918. He began with the northerners in 1908, and
played his last game for them when the club temporarily disbanded midway
through the 1921 season. At that point, along with his first ruck
comrade Syd
Barker, he crossed to Essendon (the
third member of the first ruck trio, George
Rawle, would join them in 1923).
Aged thirty-four at the time, he was one of the oldest ever VFL debutants,
but did so well in his initial season that he was selected to represent
the state at the Perth carnival.
Hardy spent five seasons with the Same Old, where he became an integral
member of the club's famous 'mosquito fleet' that was the backbone of
consecutive premiership wins in 1923 and 1924. In 1926, after 36
games and 21 goals for Essendon, Hardy was appointed non-playing coach of Coburg,
which was in only its second season as a member of the VFA, and promptly
steered the club to two consecutive premierships. The 1928 season
saw him back at Essendon, this time as non-playing coach, but his three
years at the helm yielded only modest success. Hardy went on to
spend the 1931-2 seasons as coach of St
Kilda, but was unable to recapture the success he had enjoyed earlier
at Coburg.
Given the immensity of his impact on the club, and the high all round reputation he enjoyed, the omission of Charlie Hardy from North Melbourne's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century' seems more than a little surprising. |
|
John Hardy (Carlton & North Shore)
[Click to enlarge] |
| The son of North Melbourne's and Essendon's diminutive former champion, Charlie Hardy, John 'Jack' Hardy was only marginally bigger than his father (166cm and 67kg, as opposed to 156cm and 60kg), and boasted the same indefatigable fire and flair. He spent most of his football career playing at a lower level than his father, but enjoyed a measure of notoriety all the same. Just after World War Two he lined up for University Blacks where he was beginning to develop a reputation as a lively, influential, pronouncedly two-sided rover when a broken leg threw his entire football future into doubt. Recovery was slow, but in 1948 he was given a chance by Carlton, which had spotted his potential during his brief time in the amateurs. After a highly promising season in the reserves, Hardy was given a solitary game in the seniors in 1949, but any thoughts of extended VFL career were scuppered when he had to relocate to Sydney because of his work as an industrial chemist. In 1950 he continued his football career with North Shore, and was soon making his mark as one of the most talented players in the Sydney competition. The highlight of his time in the Harbour City came with a Phelan Medal the following year. He also played representative football for New South Wales. Hardy returned to Carlton in 1952 but was unable to break into the seniors. He finally did so in 1953, but only added another 3 VFL games to his tally. His impact on the game in Sydney was considerable, however, and was fittingly recognised in 2002 with his inclusion as first rover in North Shore's official 'Team of the Century'. |
|
Daniel Harford (Hawthorn & Carlton)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Extremely quick, courageous and elusive, Daniel Harford at his best was one of the AFL's most eye-catching performers. Unfortunately, he was prevented by injury as well as intermittent attacks of self-doubt from producing his best as often as he would have liked. Hawthorn drafted Harford from Victorian Metropolitan Football League club St Marys, and he played 253 games for the club between 1995 and 2003. He twice finished in the top three in the club's best and fairest award, and was a member of the 1999 pre-season premiership team. However, he also suffered the indignity of being dropped to the VFL on occasion. In 2004 he crossed to Carlton, but after managing just 9 games for the year he announced his retirement, confessing that persistent, niggling injuries had taken their toll, and declaring, "If you can't give 100 per cent at this level, then you're no good to anyone." |
|
Reg Harley (Williamstown & South Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Reg
Harley began his senior career with Williamstown
and was in a back pocket in that club's 1945 VFA grand final win over Port
Melbourne. After 68 consecutive games for the Seagulls he moved
to South Melbourne in 1948 where he added
61 VFL games over the ensuing five seasons. Powerfully built, Harley
took no prisoners and was regarded as one of the toughest defenders
around. He kicked and marked well.
In 2003, Reg Harley was selected on the interchange bench in Williamstown's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Len Harman commenced his career with West Perth in 1942 as captain of the club's under-age wartime combination, which he led to a premiership in his debut season. He continued with the Cardinals after the war when he became acknowledged as one of the best half back flankers going round. He played in senior flag-winning combinations in 1949 and 1951, and was listed among the best players both times. His reputation as a big game player was further enhanced with fine displays in the losing grand finals of 1946, 1947, 1948, 1952 and 1953. A West Australian carnival representative against both South Australia and the VFL at Hobart in 1947, Harman also played 8 matches for the state against visiting interstate clubs. When he retired in 1954 he was officially credited with having played a total of 201 WANFL games, although several of these occurred during the age restricted competition of 1942 to 1944. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Carlton's
Wayne Harmes will forever be celebrated as the first man to win the Norm
Smith Medal (unless the AFL decides to make retrospective
awards). Harmes, who fittingly was actually Norm
Smith's nephew, won
his Medal after a stirring performance for the Blues in their 5 point
victory over Collingwood in the 1979 VFL
grand final. His superb game that day was capped by a brilliant dive
to knock the ball back into play deep in the right forward pocket; the
ball went straight to team mate Ken Sheldon, who booted the match-winning
goal.
Powerfully built, Harmes was an inspirational player who liked to crash his way through packs. He was equally at home across centre, on the ball, or in the backlines, and almost always managed to accumulate numerous possessions. He rose through the ranks to play 169 senior games with Carlton from 1977 to 1988. He also booted 86 goals. His best performances tended to come in important games, notably the winning grand finals of 1979, 1981 and 1982, and his appearances for Victoria in 1979 and 1986. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Castlemaine, where he played between 1939 and 1941, Bert Harper made his VFL debut with Essendon in 1943, but a combination of army commitments and recurring injury problems restricted him to just 76 games in almost ten seasons. A useful utility player, he boasted commendable speed, was extremely aggressive, and kicked accurately to position. He was equally effective across half forward or half back, as well as on a wing. He played in Essendon premiership teams in 1946 and 1950, but missed the winning grand final of 1949 with a knee injury. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Capable of doing a job in any key position on the ground as well as in the ruck, Baden Harper was a highly effective, if sometimes underrated, servant of the Claremont Football Club in 116 games between 1975 and 1985. A member of the Tigers' breakthrough premiership-winning team in 1981, he hailed from Albany in Claremont's country zone. Baden Harper represented Western Australia in 1982 against both South Australia and Victoria. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Along
with brother Roy,
a centreman and utility player, full forward Bruce Harper was a key player
for Sandringham during what was a
predominantly inauspicious era for the club, the late 1940s and early
'50s. Recruited from Hampton Rovers in 1947, Harper topped the
Zebras' goal kicking list on six consecutive occasions, and was the first
Sandringham player to 'top the ton'. He was the VFA's leading goal
kicker in 1950 (jointly with Williamstown's
Johnny Walker) and 1951.
Late in the 1955 season, after 155 VFA games during which he kicked 534 goals, Bruce Harper suddenly became seriously ill, and shortly afterwards died, aged just twenty-eight. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Keith
Harper was a veritable football genius boasting all the skills of the
game. Playing mainly as either a centreman or winger, he gave
tremendous service to the Perth Football Club over
233 league games, and was a Western Australian interstate representative
on no fewer than 18 occasions, earning a Simpson Medal for his display
against the VFL at Subiaco in 1954. A Perth fairest and best award
recipient in 1951, 1953, 1957 and 1959 Harper also captained the club for
six consecutive seasons from 1955 to 1960. The first of those years
saw the Redlegs 'bring home the bacon' in 1955 in the form of their first
senior flag since 1907. Harper himself played a significant on-field
role in the nerve-jangling 2 point grand
final win over East Fremantle by booting a couple of crucial goals
from his wing.
Strong, quick and extraordinarily determined, Keith Harper earned one of football's highest honours in 1956 with inclusion in the All Australian team chosen after that year's Perth carnival. In 1999 he was chosen on a wing in Perth's official 'Team of the Century'. His younger brother, Roy, also enjoyed a distinguished career with the Redlegs. |
|
Roy Harper (Sandringham & Footscray)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Effective in a variety of positions, Roy Harper was an eye-catching performer for Sandringham during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He ran second in the Liston Trophy voting in 1949, and came 3rd and 5th in the following couple of seasons. After winning the Zebras' club champion award in 1951 he crossed to Footscray, which beat off four other league clubs for his signature, and proved himself a useful player, mainly on the forward lines, over the ensuing four seasons. Unfortunately, however, he missed the greatest moment in the Bulldogs' history, the victorious 1954 grand final, and after 40 VFL games, which yielded 26 goals, he retired. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| The younger brother of club legend Keith, Perth's Roy Harper enjoyed an outstanding eleven season, 213 game league career of his own. Commencing in 1954, he played most of his football on a half back flank, but was on a half forward flank when the Redlegs broke through for their first flag in nearly half a century after a 2 point grand final win over East Fremantle in 1955 (match reviewed here). Extremely courageous and determined, he boasted excellent anticipation skills, and was a sure ball handler and fine left foot kick. The sort of player who improved noticeably with age and experience, he won his club's fairest and best award three times in succession between 1961 and 1963, and made the first of an eventual 3 interstate appearances for Western Australia in 1962. He won the Simpson Medal on his debut in a match against South Australia at Subiaco, although he could not prevent the visitors scoring a surprise 16 point victory. |
|
Don Harris (Richmond & Collingwood)
|
| Don Harris was an immensely reliable and consistent defender who was a stalwart of Richmond's fine late 1920s combinations. He was in a back pocket and among the finest players on view in the losing grand finals of 1927 and 1928, both against Collingwood, and he also played in the losing game of 1929 against the same opposition. Ironically, after 64 games in five seasons with Richmond he crossed to arch rival Collingwood in 1931 at a time when the balance of power in the VFL was beginning to shift in the Tigers' favour. Harris added 32 games in two years with the Magpies before retiring. |
|
Fred Harris (St Kilda, Melbourne, Essendon Association)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Fred Harris was a solid defender during the pre-World War One period with three clubs of league standard. He played 25 games with St Kilda from 1903 to 1905 before taking a one year break from top level football. The 1907 season saw him back in action, this time with Melbourne, and he added a further 61 games to his tally over the ensuing six years with the under-achieving Fuchsias. In 1913 he crossed to Essendon Association, but unfortunately for Harris his arrival coincided with a decline in the club's fortunes and he ended his career without a senior premiership to his name. |
|
John Harris (Brighton, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Coburg)
[Click to enlarge] |
| After showing himself to be an accomplished all round footballer with Brighton in the VFA, 'Jiggy' Harris was recruited by Collingwood, for whom he made his VFL debut in 1925. Pacy, tenacious and skilled, he played most of his 88 games with the Magpies as a wingman or half forward flanker, and booted 48 goals. He was on a wing in the losing challenge final of 1926 against Melbourne, and played across half forward in the decisive matches of 1927 and 1928 against Richmond, both of which Collingwood won. In 1929 he was an ever-present throughout the minor round and also played in the losing semi final against Richmond, only to be dropped for the challenge final re-match. Disgusted at this treatment, he quit the club, and was hired by Hawthorn as captain-coach in 1930. He spent two seasons with the Mayblooms, adding 34 games and 10 goals, and steering the side to 10th and 11th place finishes. 'Jiggy' Harris finished his playing career back in the VFA, this time with Coburg, and was a member of that club's losing grand final team against Northcote in 1933. In 1934 he was appointed coach of Ivanhoe, which had just been admitted to the VAFA, and over the next three seasons he managed the sensational - and unequalled - feat of steering his side to no fewer than sixty consecutive wins, capped by premierships in D Grade (1934), C Grade (1935) and B Grade (1936). |
|
Richard Harris (Richmond, Williamstown, Yarraville)
[Click to enlarge] |
| An extremely clever and talented goal kicking rover for most of his VFL career, Dick Harris also played a fair number of early games in the back pocket. Renowned for his unwaveringly accurate torpedo punts, he topped Richmond's goal kicking list jointly with Jack Titus in 1937, and in his own right in 1943 and 1944. His tally of 63 goals in 1943 was good enough to top the VFL list. Harris' 196 VFL games from 1934 to 1944 yielded a total of 548 goals, and included the winning grand finals of 1934 and 1943. In the 5 point grand final win over Essendon in 1943 he booted 7 of the Tigers' 12 goals for the match to be most observers' choice as best afield. His VFL interstate appearances included both the team's matches at the 1937 Perth carnival. After leaving Richmond, Harris joined Williamstown, and was a member of that club's 1945 VFA premiership side. He later played briefly with Yarraville. |
|
|
| The
redoubtable William 'Ching' Harris was one of the greatest defenders of
his time, and gave Footscray
service of the highest order for almost twenty years. Always
impeccably turned out, Harris was a great favourite among the Tricolours'
female supporters, with his Chinese moustache and fringe conveying just
the right intimation of exotic intrigue, besides giving rise to the
'Ching' nickname.
Harris made his VFA debut with Footscray in 1896, the last season before the VFL schism. The following year he was joined on the last line of defence by the equally talented 'Paddy' Hinch, and over the course of the next dozen years the pair developed an acute mutual understanding, providing the Tricolours with the best defensive partnership in the Association in the process. The familiar sight of 'Ching' Harris careering out of the backlines while Hinch dropped back to provide cover was one of which the Footscray supporters never tired; neither did they mind it when Harris, as was his wont, elected to 'mix it' with the opposition - football, after all, was a man's game. Nevertheless, Harris sometimes took his liking for a stoush too far, and on one occasion in 1903 he ended up in court charged with assaulting a Richmond opponent. Two years later he was rubbed out for the entire season after repeatedly falling foul of the umpires. Somewhat ironically, given the often acrimonious nature of his dealings with officialdom, William Harris maintained his involvement in football after the Great War by serving as a VFL goal umpire. |
|
Henry Harrison (Richmond, Melbourne, Geelong)
[Click to enlarge] |
| During his lifetime, Henry Colden Antill Harrison attracted the honorific title 'father of the game' because of his all round contribution to it over many years as both player and administrator. He began as a player at a club bearing the name Richmond (not the same club as today's Tigers) before replacing his cousin Tom Wills at Melbourne when Wills left for Geelong. Harrison later spent a year himself at the 'Pivot', but it was primarily for his prolonged association with Melbourne that he is remembered. The fact that he was a rare footballer by the standards of his time is emphasised by his feat in winning the prestigious Champion of the Colony award a record five times, in 1862, 1863, 1866, 1867 and 1869. Off the field, he played leading roles in the VFA, the VFL (which named its headquarters, Harrison House, after him) and the Australasian Football Council, and so if he can not truly be said to have 'fathered' the game in the sense of actually inventing it, he was nevertheless an adoptive father of the highest quality. The fact that, like Wills, he was born in New South Wales is an intriguing anomaly perhaps best not focused on, at any rate not in Victoria. |
|
Paul Harrison (South Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Tough and durable, if somewhat ungainly and unprepossessing in approach, South Melbourne's Traralgon recruit Paul Harrison enjoyed a fine, 119 game, 27 goal VFL career between 1963 and 1970. He afforded persuasive evidence that style and effectiveness do not inevitably or invariably go hand in hand. |
|
Ben Hart (North Adelaide & Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Ben
Hart was without doubt one of the most important players to represent the Adelaide
Crows during the club’s brief history to date. He made his debut for
the club as an eighteen year old in 1992, having spent the previous two
seasons alternating between his school team, Rostrevor College, and North
Adelaide, for who he made a couple of senior appearances in 1990 and 8
the following year. In his first season with the Crows he was an ever
present, and was widely touted as the competition’s foremost first year
player, a status endorsed by his selection in the 1992 AFL
All Australian team. There were no second season blues either as Hart
continued where he had left off by producing another copybook year capped
by participation in Adelaide’s first ever AFL finals campaign, and
selection once more in the league’s official team of the year. Hart was
also a prominent contributor to South Australia’s victory in the
Australian state of origin championships.
The key facets of Hart’s game were pace, poise, coolness under pressure,, and unerring distribution skills by both hand and foot. Early in his debut season he was tried in a number of positions including the wing and a half back flank before finding his true forté as a rebounding, purposeful last line defender. During the mid-1990s Hart’s form dipped somewhat but when Malcolm Blight was appointed as Crows coach in 1997 Hart was one of several players at the club to undergo a renaissance. In both 1997 and 1998 he was a key contributor to Adelaide’s historic grand final triumphs, and in 1999 his form improved still more, with a club best and fairest award and selection in a third AFL All Australian team among the more visible rewards. Three years later, still playing consistently imposing football, he repeated both achievements. When somewhat controversially delisted at the end of the 2006 season Ben Hart had played an Adelaide record 311 AFL games. Indeed, he was the first player from the club to break the 300 game barrier. He spent his last season as a player back with North Adelaide whom he helped reach the 2007 grand final, the club’s first since 1991. However, Central District proved too strong, winning by almost 11 goals. In 2008 Hart returned to the Crows as an assistant coach. |
|
Darel Hart (Central District, North Adelaide, Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Central District recruited Darel Hart from Salisbury North, and he played 47 league games for the Bulldogs between 1980 and 1983. However, it was at North Adelaide, where he added another 189 games from 1984 to 1994, that had his greatest impact. Voted the club's best and fairest player in 1986 and 1987, he took over as skipper in the latter season and had the immediate satisfaction of leading the side to its first senior flag since 1972. The Roosters beat Glenelg, their nemesis of the previous two seasons, in the 1987 grand final by 82 points, with first rover Hart among the best players afield. Combining strength, a keen eye for goal, and exemplary ball skills, Hart occasionally seemed slow compared to many other league footballers, but he had the uncanny knack of finding the ball and using it exquisitely. He was also the quintessential big game player, as he proved when he was just about the only North Adelaide player to do himself justice in the embarrassing 94 point capitulation to Port Adelaide in the 1989 grand final. Two years later he won the Jack Oatey Medal after his 7 goal performance helped the Roosters to a 21.22 (148) to 11.7 (73) grand final demolition of West Adelaide. By that stage of his career, Hart was also playing AFL football for the Adelaide Crows, which he did with distinction in 39 games in 1991 and 1992, kicking 38 goals. Darel Hart was playing coach of North Adelaide in 1993 and 1994, and non-playing coach in 1995. He later served a second stint as non-playing coach between 2001 and late in a disastrous 2003 season that produced just 1 win and 2 draws from 20 matches, and an inevitable wooden spoon. It was an unfortunate way for Hart to bow out, because by any objective criteria he deserves to be remembered as one of the North Adelaide Football Club's best and most important servants. |
|
David Hart (West Perth, South Fremantle, West Coast)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Bruck Rock, David Hart joined West Perth in 1983, but after failing to establish himself there, he moved on to South Fremantle. The change of environment clearly suited him, as over the next three seasons he established himself as one of the toughest and cleverest rovers in the WAFL, earning inclusion in West Coast's inaugural VFL squad in 1987. Hart's 184 V/AFL games from 1987 to 1997 included the winning grand final of 1994, when Geelong was vanquished to the tune of 80 points. He achieved AFL All Australian selection the same year. In 1997 he played enough WAFL games to qualify to represent South Fremantle in the finals, and he was among the best players afield as the Bulldogs triumphed over East Fremantle in a derby grand final. |
|
Royce Hart (Richmond, Glenelg, Footscray)
[Click to enlarge] |
| To
many observers (including probably himself - see
footnote 1)
Royce Hart was the living embodiment of the ideal centre half forward.
Certainly few players in the history of the game have managed to weld
supreme natural ability and resolute determination to such telling effect.
The determination saw Hart - on the face of it far from the finished
article as a footballer - leave Tasmania as a seventeen year old in 1965 to try
his luck in the 'big time' with Richmond.
At the time it was more usual for non-Victorian players to serve out
apprenticeships in their own local competitions before embarking on VFL
careers, but throughout his football career Royce Hart seldom did things
according to accepted guidelines or standards.
Hart enjoyed a dream VFL debut season in 1967 when, playing at the goal front, he was a near unanimous choice as rookie of the year, kicking 55 goals, representing his adopted state, and playing in Richmond's first premiership team for twenty-four years. There were to be no second season blues either: Royce Hart maintained an amazing consistency throughout most of the remainder of his 190 game league career, even in 1976 and '77 when his knees had virtually 'gone'. In 1969, under a special lease arrangement, he played one SANFL game for Glenelg - the grand final, against Sturt. However, he was unable to prevent the Double Blues from winning comfortably. (See footnote 2) Captain of the Tigers between 1972 and 1975, Hart played representative football for the VFL 11 times, won the Richmond best and fairest award twice, and was a member of four premiership teams. There have been few more reliable marks or dynamic all round players in the history of the game. Hart's exploits as a coach, however, were infinitely less auspicious: in two and a bit seasons in charge at Footscray during the early '80s he failed to steer the Bulldogs above 10th place in a 12 team competition. In June 2004, Royce Hart was named at centre half forward in the official Tasmanian 'Team of the Century'. Hardly surprisingly, he occupies the same position in Richmond's equivalent team. In 2006, he was inducted as an icon into Tasmanian Football's official Hall of Fame. |
Footnotes1. See The Royce Hart Story pp. 72-77 in which Hart (then aged just 22) selects himself at centre half forward in his 'Team to Beat All'. Return to Main Text 2. Hart had been training with Glenelg for most of the 1969 season while undertaking National Service duties in Adelaide. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Shepparton United, Shaun Hart was taken by Brisbane as the number 33 selection in the 1989 National Draft, and he made his AFL debut the following year. Extremely gutsy and tenacious, he played most of his early football as a tagger, but as his career progressed, and his confidence improved, he began to assume a more creative role in the team. When the Lions began to emerge as a genuine premiership threat in the late 1990s, Shaun Hart was a key factor in their improvement. He enjoyed a stellar 2001 season culminating in a best on ground performance - and a Norm Smith Medal - in the grand final win over Essendon. He was also among his side's best players in the 2002 and 2003 premiership victories. He retired at the end of the 2004 season after playing a total of 273 AFL games and kicking 177 goals, most with a left foot that was among the most reliably accurate in the game. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Mark Harvey was a tough, canny and courageous centre half back from East Keilor who had the good fortune to play in Essendon premiership teams in his first two seasons in the VFL. His 1985 season was especially memorable as, in addition to contributing to the Bombers' grand final annihilation of Hawthorn, he made his Victorian interstate debut and was selected in the All Australian team. Harvey played some of his best football during the early 1990s, winning a club best and fairest award in 1992, and achieving AFL All Australian selection whilst making a telling contribution to a flag win the following year. In all, he played 206 games and kicked 170 goals, with his durability being all the more remarkable in light of the fact that he sustained at least a dozen serious injuries during his career, a legacy of his immense courage and wholehearted commitment to the team cause. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Formidably built, extremely mobile,
tremendous overhead, and a prodigious kick, Claremont's
Wayne Harvey should really have been one of the game's all time greats,
but lacked both the consistency and that bit of 'devil' that all true
champions possess. Nevertheless, he was a highly useful player, who
for his performance in the winning 1964 grand final (reviewed here)
alone warrants a
prominent place in the Tigers' 'hall of fame'. Many observers rated
Harvey, who booted 5 goals that day, as the most effective player on the
ground, but he was controversially pipped to the Simpson
Medal by East Fremantle's Norm
Rogers.
Between 1959 and 1970 Wayne Harvey played a total of 217 WANFL games. He also represented Western Australia 4 times. At his peak during the mid-1960s, he topped Claremont's goal kicking list with 64 goals in 1964, 65 in 1965, and 56 in 1966. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| After his debut season with Port Adelaide in 1966 Ross Haslam was widely touted as the recruit of the year, but although he continued to give the Magpies capable service for another five years it is probably fair to say that he never totally fulfilled that early potential. Recruited from SAAFL club University, he was hard at the ball, industrious, and extremely brave, performing equally effectively either as a rover or on a half forward flank. The last of his 113 senior games in a Magpie jumper came in the losing grand final of 1971 against North Adelaide. Once his SANFL career was over Haslam returned to amateur ranks with Scotch Old Collegians, establishing himself as one of the finest players at that level in the country. A regular member of SAAFL interstate teams, he played in three successive carnivals, in 1973, 1976 and 1979 (as captain). The 1973 and 1976 carnivals were both won by the South Australians. |
|
Jack Hassett (South Melbourne & Geelong)
|
| Jack
Hassett was a superb follower whose career was laced with
controversy. Despite the fact that he lived in Geelong, he began
playing in 1902 with South Melbourne, and
although the VFL permits committee apparently disapproved, nothing was
done to prevent him. Hassett went on to play a total of 39 games
over three and a half seasons with South, but controversy attended him
once more when, after alleged involvement in misdemeanours during a trip
to Sydney, he was unceremoniously sacked.
Two seasons later, Hassett showed up again, this time with Geelong. He quickly showed that he had lost none of his dash, agility and long kicking prowess, and proved to be an invaluable acquisition for the Pivotonians. He spent a further three years in league football and racked up another 34 VFL games before retiring at the end of the 1909 season. |
|
Phil Haughan (East Perth, Central District, Launceston)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Probably best remembered for a single superlative season, overall Phil Haughan was a footballer who failed to do full justice to his considerable all round ability. Nevertheless, he can count himself among those rare individuals who played football at the top level in three states. Tall, thin and wiry, he was an excellent and sometimes spectacular mark, had sure ball handling skills, but was often let down by wayward kicking. He began his senior league career with East Perth in 1965, and suffered the immense frustration of being in the Royals' losing grand final teams of 1966, 1968 and 1969. Most of his games were played as a ruck-rover, but he was also used at centre half forward on occasion. In 1971 he moved to Central District and promptly produced the outstanding season referred to above, winning the Bulldogs' best and fairest award, finishing joint second in the Magarey Medal count, and helping his club to qualify for its first ever finals series. Haughan played a total of 62 SANFL games in three seasons at Centrals before returning to East Perth, where he took his final tally of WANFL games to 111. In 1976 he was appointed captain-coach of Launceston and promptly enjoyed the first premiership success of his career as the Blues overcame North Launceston by a point in that year's grand final. Haughan also played interstate football for the first time in his career in 1976, representing Tasmania against Queensland at North Hobart, when he kicked 5 goals, and against New South Wales in Sydney. In addition, won that year's A.W. Orchard Trophy for the best NTFA player in the intrastate representative series. Phil Haughan retired at the end of a 1977 season that saw his Launceston side bow out of premiership contention at the 1st semi final stage. (See footnote 1) |
Footnotes1. I am indebted to Ross Smith for providing me with details of the Tasmanian phase of Phil Haughan's career. Return to Main Text |
|
Harry Haughton (Northcote, Carlton, Williamstown)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Harry
Haughton began his senior playing career with VFA side Northcote
but made his name in the VFL with Carlton.
As versatile as he was accomplished, he played in most positions on the
field during the course of his 113 game, 49 goal VFL career with the Blues
which ran from 1912 and 1919. Strong overhead, and extremely
aggressive and determined, he was on a half back flank, and one of the
best players afield, when Carlton downed South
Melbourne by a goal in the 1914 challenge final. In 1915, the
Blues went back to back, beating Collingwood
in the challenge final by 33 points, with Haughton playing a supporting
role to Charlie
Hammond in the ruck. The roles were reversed in the 1916
challenge final, with Haughton assuming the principal ruck duties, but he
was unable to prevent a shock loss to Fitzroy.
A VFL interstate representative in 1913 and at the 1914 Sydney carnival, Haughton returned to the VFA, this time with Williamstown, once his VFL career was over. After serving as captain-coach in 1920, he rounded off his career in style the following year by starring at centre half forward in the Seagulls' 8.9 (57) to 5.9 (39) challenge final defeat of Footscray, a result that was considered a major shock in that the Tricolours had only tasted defeat once during the home and away rounds, while Williamstown had only just qualified for the finals in 4th place. |
|
Keith Haussen (Glenelg & South Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Tough and hard working, sometimes almost frantically so, rover 'Barney' Haussen was never what you would term a leading light in the world of football, but he gave fine service to two league clubs over the course of an eleven season, 162 game senior career. Haussen began at Glenelg in 1945, and his 102 games for the club over the ensuing eight seasons included the losing grand final of 1950 against Norwood. He completed his career with 59 games for perennial under-achiever South Adelaide. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Once
described by Geelong great Reg
Hickey as "the greatest centre half forward I have ever
seen" (see footnote 1), Harold 'Dribbler' Hawke
would almost certainly have achieved a lot more in the game had he played
more than just sporadically over the course of his eleven season league
career with North Adelaide.
Those eleven seasons spawned just 70 games, but on the one occasion that
he managed to make himself available for the entire year, 1937, he won
both the Magarey Medal
and the North Adelaide best and fairest award.
Adelaide-born Hawke made his debut for the red and whites in a semi final victory over West Torrens in 1927, but the following year he accepted a job on a farm at Curramulka on the Yorke Peninsula, where he eventually bought property and settled. Given the immense distances involved, it is small wonder that he preferred to devote most Saturday afternoons to playing locally for Curramulka, rather than travelling to Adelaide to play for a pittance in the SANFL (see footnote 2). On the rare occasions that he did venture to the 'Big Smoke', however, it was clear that he was a unique and special talent. Tall and thin, he possessed wonderful ball handling skills combined with tremendous aerial ability. Moreover, he was extremely agile and quick, and could drop kick the ball prodigious distances. In both 1930 and '31 he was brought back to the city by North especially to play in the finals, and his combination with legendary full forward Ken Farmer was a major contributory factor in the club's going on to win premierships in those years. A South Australian carnival representative in both 1933 and 1937, Harold Hawke retired from the SANFL in 1939, but continued to play for Curramulka until he was forty-five years of age. In 2001, Harold Hawke was selected on a half forward flank in North Adelaide's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
Footnotes1. Quoted in 'Sporting Life', August 1950, page 25. Return to Main Text 2. The return bus fare from Curramulka to Adelaide at this time was £1/14s, while North Adelaide paid Hawke the princely sum of £1/15s for each game played. Source: North Adelaide's Greatest by the North Adelaide Football Club History Committee, page 15. Return to Main Text |
|
Neil Hawke (Port Adelaide, East Perth, West Torrens)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Had
he elected to concentrate on football rather than cricket, Neil Hawke
might well be remembered today as a champion key position forward.
Immensely powerful overhead, and surprisingly quick at ground level for
someone of such hefty build, he typically rounded things off with an
almost unfailingly accurate drop punt.
Hawke burst onto the scene with Port Adelaide in 1957, but after just 5 games, which yielded 27 goals (15 of them in one match against South Adelaide), he was unceremoniously dropped after a poor performance against West Adelaide and never played for the club's senior side again. During Port's end of season trip to Perth to play East Fremantle the team stayed at the Savoy Hotel which was managed by East Perth coach Jack Sheedy, who persuaded Hawke to have a chat about his football future with officials from his club. The Royals ended up signing Hawke, who in two seasons in the west provided ample evidence of just how fine a footballer he was, booting 157 goals in 42 games, and helping the side to successive grand final wins over East Fremantle and Subiaco. After playing mainly on the half forward line during his debut season he was moved to the goalfront the following year and his tally of 114 goals was good enough to top the WANFL list. Mind you, there were some concerns over his kicking, particularly early on during his time in the west. In June 1958, for example, Alan Ferguson, writing in 'The Football Budget', observed: Neil Hawke as a centre half forward commands an aerial supremacy. However, to secure the best from Hawke (only 18) East Perth must improve his kicking. Drop punts are useless on fine days. How times - and perceptions - change! Hawke spent the whole of 1960 concentrating on cricket but in 1961 he returned to South Australia and resumed his football career with West Torrens. Between 1961 and 1963 and in 1966 he added a final 33 league games to his tally, kicking 97 goals. Quite a number of his games for the Eagles were played at centre half back, a position to which he adapted well. Over the course of his career, Hawke played a total of 4 games of interstate football, 2 each for Western Australia and his home state. He spent the 1961 football season playing for Brighton in the SAAFL, winning the Hone Medal as best and fairest player in A1 section. He also helped South Australia to a win over Victoria in an amateur interstate match on the Adelaide Oval. |
|
Glenn Hawker (Essendon & Carlton)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Deceptively fragile and even occasionally unkempt looking, Glenn Hawker boasted sublime all round skill, and was a key member of Essendon's great mid-1980s combinations. He started with the Bombers as a seventeen year old in 1978, winning the club's reserves best and fairest award, and making the first of an eventual 200 senior appearances. He took several seasons to find his feet, but from 1981 he became a regular member of the league side, capable of playing equally effectively either on the ball or in a number of set positions. He was on a half back flank when Essendon downed Carlton to win the 1981 VFL night premiership, and the following season saw him selected to represent Victoria for the first time. By the middle of the decade he was playing as consistently well as any footballer in the league, and made significant contributions to the Dons' flag wins of 1984 and 1985. He also played in a second night premiership team in 1984. In 1986 he won Essendon's best and fairest award and was selected on a half back flank in the prestigious 'Inside Football' Team of the Year. He crossed to Carlton in 1989 and added a final 27 senior games over three seasons, but by this stage of his career his best football was behind him. |
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| Tall, lithe and slim, Fred Hawking, who was recruited from Mooroopna, was a top ranking wingman or centreman for Geelong in 102 VFL games from 1932 to 1938, and in 1941. He was excellent overhead, extremely quick, and his low, raking drop kicks to team mates on the forward line were renowned features of his play. He won the Cats' best and fairest award in 1935 and, with 17 kicks, 5 marks and 7 handballs, made a significant contribution to the 1937 grand final defeat of Collingwood. Hawking represented the VFL in the interstate arena on 3 occasions. |
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Doug Hawkins (Footscray & Fitzroy)
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| Blessed
with all the essential skills of football, Doug Hawkins, known almost
universally as 'the Hawk', would arguably be Ted
Whitten senior's only serious rival as the greatest footballer ever to
don the famous tricolour jumper of the Footscray
Football Club. Idolised by the fans at the Western Oval for
seventeen seasons (1978-94), during which time he amassed a club record 329 games,
Hawkins' patch of ground, which he patrolled with the same air of
ownership as a police officer on the beat, was unofficially known as 'the
Doug Hawkins wing'.
Some, like former Collingwood champion Peter McKenna, went so far as to adjudge Hawkins the most naturally gifted footballer of his era (see footnote 1), and there can be absolutely no doubt that he was blessed with abundant talent. Quick, strong, agile, brilliant overhead, an excellent kick, and a superb exponent of handball, Hawkins had a knack of making the spectacular look like second nature. Moreover, despite the fact that he had his share of run-ins with the Tribunal, he was essentially a ball player, thereby earning the respect of both opponents and, in some cases, even opposition supporters. Melbourne great Robbie Flower spoke for many players of his era when he observed that Doug Hawkins was always a tough customer to play against. His exceptional skills whether it be on the ground or in the air were something even his opponents were willing to stand back and applaud. At times I would think, 'How did he do that?' when gaining possession in a freakish manner. However, his most outstanding asset was his unselfishness and use of clever handball often forsaking his own accolades for the sake of the team. His tackling was another feature of his game that emphasised his team orientated manner. (See footnote 2) During the course of his long career, Hawkins received several offers, most notably from Essendon and Adelaide, to leave his beloved Western Oval. Given Footscray's consistent lack of success such offers must surely have been extremely tempting, but it is typical of the character of the man that when he did finally jump ship in 1995 it was not to pursue personal glory but to play out his career endeavouring to help Fitzroy, a club which was in an even more parlous state than the Bulldogs, achieve a measure of self respect. If he can perhaps be said to have failed in that ambition, it was nevertheless a noble failure. However, to those who watched 'the Hawk' in action during the peak of his playing career - which was more or less all of the seventeen years he spent with Footscray - 'failure' was seldom if ever a word which applied. |
Footnotes1. See Both Sides of the Fence by Doug Hawkins, page 90. Return to Main Text 2. Ibid., page 62. Return to Main Text |
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Robb Hawkins (South Adelaide & Geelong)
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| After playing reserves football with Geelong, ruckman Robb Hawkins moved to South Adelaide in 1979, but for a time found it just as hard to secure a niche at senior level. In 1981, however, he finally broke into the league side on a regular basis, and enjoyed an excellent season highlighted by state selection and the Knuckey Cup for club best and fairest. A deft palmer of the ball, and a superb field mark, Hawkins continued to display fine form for the next couple of seasons, and won a second best and fairest award in 1983. He spent the 1984 season back at Geelong, but managed to add just 3 senior games to the 115 he had played with the Panthers. |
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| After impressing in amateur football with University Blues Ian Hayden arrived at Richmond, if not exactly to a fanfare, then certainly with more than a modicum of anticipation. He made his league debut for the Tigers in 1962, and almost from the start it was clear that the club's hopes stood every chance of being fulfilled. Of stocky build, and powerful, he was a strong, one grab mark, tough, courageous and willing. Tragically, in 1964, after playing just 30 senior games during which he booted 42 he was badly injured and forced to retire, leaving Tigers supporters to wonder just what might have been if he had ended up allying himself with the likes of Royce Hart, John Northey et al on the forward lines of the all conquering Richmond sides of the late 1960s. |
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Doug Hayes (Camberwell & Richmond)
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| Doug Hayes began his senior career at Camberwell, before that club's admission to the VFA. However, it was with Richmond, where he played 82 VFL games and kicked 62 goals between 1922 and 1928, that he really made his name. A tough and combative rover, he was one of the Tigers' best in their losing grand final team of 1927 against Collingwood. |
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John Hayes (East Perth, Claremont, West Adelaide, South Fremantle)
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| Renowned
for his versatility and dependability, John Hayes, who originally hailed
from Ireland, was a regular Western Australian interstate representative
for much of his 16 season, 283 game League career. Having been
converted from soccer whilst attending De La Salle College near Perth,
Hayes joined East Perth in 1969 and soon made
a name for himself as a hard running utility player. In 1972 he made
his interstate debut at the Perth
carnival, and later that year he was a member of the Royals'
victorious grand final side. After spending the 1975 season with West
Adelaide, where he played 11 League games, Hayes returned to the west
in 1976 and joined Claremont.
Over the next couple of seasons he added a further 39 League games to his
total before returning 'home' to East Perth in 1978, just in time to
participate in that club's heart stopping grand final victory over Perth
(a full review of which can be found by clicking here).
Between 1978 and 1982 John Hayes was a stalwart member of an East Perth side which he captained during his final two seasons. With his games total for the Royals on precisely 200 he made a final move in 1983 to South Fremantle, where he added a further 33 games over his remaining couple of league seasons. Equally adept in a key position or in a running role, the 185cm 77kg Hayes was a team player par excellence; seldom spectacular, almost always effective, he was a genuine unsung hero of Western Australian football for well over a decade. |
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| Neville 'Chicken' Hayes was a classical type of backman, described by Jeff Pash as a "player of all-round gifts who backs his judgement (to a hair-raising extent in this particular case) and plays his man at a distance" (see footnote 1). A dual best and fairest winner, Hayes played a total of 217 games with Port Adelaide between 1953 and 1965, mostly in the backlines, but often enough as a forward for him to amass 58 goals. He also represented South Australia 18 times. His sometimes overly aggressive approach to the game often earned him the ire of opposition supporters, but he was enormously respected down Alberton way during what was a halcyon era - one of many, to be sure - in the club's history. |
Footnotes1. The Pash Papers by Jeff Pash, page 122. Return to Main Text |
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| In 1943 Perth-born Roy Hayes, aged twenty, was stationed in Sydney on military service, and fronted up on Saturday afternoons for Eastern Suburbs. Twenty-two years later he played the last of over 300 senior games having acquired legendary status for himself at the club which, under Hayes' coaching, dominated Sydney football throughout the 1950s. Universally acknowledged as one of the finest players in Sydney for much of his career, he would in all likelihood have collected several Phelan Medals had he played elsewhere, but the Bulldogs had such a powerful all round team that the votes tended to get shared around much more widely than at other clubs. With Roy Hayes at the helm, Eastern Suburbs won seven consecutive flags between 1953 and 1959, having earlier played in losing grand finals in 1947, 1949 and 1951. The sort of player who was always in the thick of the action, he played 22 times for New South Wales, and in 2003 was selected as an inaugural member of the Sydney AFL Hall of Fame. |
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| Versatile, sure and stylish, John Haygarth enjoyed an eye-catching if brief VFL career with Geelong, where he played 59 league games, and booted 13 goals, between 1955 and 1959. Originally from Inverleigh, he tended to alternate between the half forward and half back flanks during the first half of his career before developing into a slickly skilful, if somewhat unpredictable, rover later on. |
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Henry Richard Head (West Adelaide, Sturt, Glenelg)
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| 'Dick'
Head made his West Adelaide debut
in 1906, and by the following season was regularly being listed among the
best players. An excellent mark and a superb kick, he covered so
much ground during the course of a game that he "was worth three
ordinary men" (see footnote 1).
At the age of 22, Head was awarded the 1909 Magarey Medal. The following year he was appointed West's vice-captain, and in 1913 he assumed the captaincy. A member of South Australian interstate teams on 14 occasions, he played in the victorious carnival side of 1911, and was state captain in 1913. Arguably his best season in league football was 1915 when, in a middle of the road West team, he was voted the best all round player in South Australia by readers of the 'Football Budget'. After a break for the war, Head was back with Westies in 1919, and although he was a touch slower than in his heyday his name still appeared frequently on the best player lists. At the end of the 1920 season he left West and joined Sturt, but managed only 4 games there before calling it a day. The 1922 season saw him appointed non-playing coach of Glenelg but he actually felt constrained to don the boots again midway through the season in a fruitless effort to bolster the side's fortunes. A total of 7 games with Glenelg took his final tally of league games to 154 in 13 seasons, and he kicked a total of 22 goals; he also represented South Australia 14 times in an era when competition for places was arguably as intense as at any stage in the twentieth century. |
Footnotes1. 'The South Australian Chronicle', 18/9/09, page 24 - cited in SA Greats: the History of the Magarey Medal by John Wood, page 60. Return to Main Text |
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| Triple
Magarey Medallist
Lindsay Head was the first South Australian player to notch up 300 games.
He was also, arguably, one of the code's most skilful and intelligent
players. Not that he lacked either courage or competitiveness -
players simply do not rack up the number of decisive, clean possessions
Head did without such qualities; it was just that he seemed to
perform almost every action on the football field with such smooth panache
and effortless artistry that at times it was as though he was on a
different plane from everyone else. That said, he could never truly
be called a two-sided player, preferring to resort to a variation of the
check side kick when caught on the wrong foot; however, such was Head's
artistry and dedication to practice that he was able to perform this kick
with exquisite accuracy time and time again.
An ardent traditionalist, Head refused numerous offers to move to Victoria to play. His loyalty to West Torrens is all the more remarkable when you consider that, after playing in a premiership side in only his second ever season, Head never again even went remotely close to a flag. On the personal front, however, he did win the club best and fairest award on a remarkable eight occasions, kicked more than 500 career goals, and represented South Australia no fewer than 37 times. He also won the Advertiser Trophy on three occasions, the News-Ampol Trophy twice, and was voted ADS7 Footballer of the Year in 1962. |
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Stanley Headon (Sturt & Claremont)
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| Stan Headon made his league debut with Sturt in 1931, and, after initially struggling to secure a regular place in the team, began to come in his own during the 1933 season. In 1936, after playing 60 games and kicking 30 goals for the Double Blues, as well as representing South Australia once, he was cleared to Claremont where he became a key member of the side that was to dominate West Australian football in the years leading up to World War Two. During his first season with the Monts, however, Headon had great difficulty in coming to terms with the very different interpretation of the handball rule prevailing in the west. Whereas in South Australia the flick pass was still permitted, in the WANFL it was outlawed - a fact which had been the bane both of South Australian interstate teams in Perth, and Western Australian teams in Adelaide, for many years. By 1937, however, Headon, playing as a dashingly energetic half back flanker, was producing the best football of his career, earning selection in the state team for the Perth carnival, and ultimately running third in the voting for the Sandover Medal as well as winning his club's fairest and best award. He was on the half back line in that year's losing grand final against East Fremantle, as indeed he had been the previous year against East Perth. In 1938 and 1939 he was a key contributor to Claremont's first two senior flags. Between 1942 and 1944, senior football in the WANFL was suspended, but Headon resumed for one last season in 1945 to take his final tally of league games with the Monts to 94. He also represented Western Australia once. |
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Stan Heal (West Perth & Melbourne)
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| Pacy,
courageous and highly skilled, Stan 'Pops' Heal was one of Australia's
finest wingmen of the 1940s.
In 1941 he accomplished the rare feat of playing in two premiership sides in different states in the same season. Whilst temporarily stationed in Victoria, Heal lined up with Melbourne, and was on a wing as the Redlegs defeated Essendon in that year's VFL grand final. A week later he was back home in Perth completing the 2nd half of an exceptional double as West Perth accounted for East Fremantle in the WANFL grand final. This time Heal played as a rover, but it was as a wingman that he achieved his greatest notoriety. The West Perth teams of the half decade or so following World War Two were among the finest in the club's history, and Heal was very much a lynch-pin, both as player and coach. He was also a regular interstate representative winning a Simpson Medal against South Australia in 1949 and leading the sandgropers at the Brisbane carnival the following year. |
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| Regarded by some as the finest wingman in the history of the Collingwood Football Club, Des Healey is probably best remembered today for his seemingly accidental collision with Melbourne's Frank 'Bluey' Adams in the closing minutes of the 1955 VFL grand final. Healey had been one of the Magpies best in a losing side that day, but despite being only twenty-seven he elected never to play again saying "I couldn't stand another blow like that one". Diminutive, pacy and determined, Healey could outmark taller opponents, and his use of the ball, often with his favoured stab pass, was impeccable. He played a total of 149 senior games for Collingwood between 1948 and 1955, and was best afield in the 12 point grand final defeat of Geelong in 1953. That same season saw Healey achieve All Australian selection after the Adelaide carnival. Despite leaving the Woods, and the VFL, in somewhat unfortunate circumstances, he bowed out on a high note by winning the Copeland Trophy as Collingwood's best and fairest player. His omission from Collingwood's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century', selected in July 2002, remains perhaps a tad surprising. |
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Gerard Healy (Melbourne & Sydney)
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| Almost
the quintessential all round footballer, there have been few better sights
in the game's history than Gerard Healy at the peak of his form.
Originally from Edithvale-Aspendale, Healy joined Melbourne
in 1979 and, with his pace, tremendous ball skills, and uncanny ability to
be at the fall of the ball, immediately stamped himself as a star of the
future. Healy played 130 VFL games for the Demons, winning a club
best and fairest award in 1984, and booting 77 goals in 1982 to top the
club's goal kicking list. After crossing to Sydney
in 1986 he blossomed still further as a player, and his Brownlow
Medal win in 1988 was both popular and well earned. Healy's
excellence was emphasised by his winning three successive Swans best and
fairest awards at a time when the club was very much at the forefront of
the game. Healy also achieved All
Australian selection in 1986-7-8 and, in the view of many, was without
peer at the time as an attacking on-baller who knew where the goals were
(he booted 276 goals in 211 league games). Indeed, according to
Russell Holmesby and Jim Main, Gerard Healy "was generally considered
to personify the best attributes of the 1980s footballer" (see
footnote 1).
Thanks to a chronic wrist injury, Healy's league career ended more or less as soon as the 1980s were over; he retired, aged just twenty-nine, in 1990. In 2003 he was selected on a half forward flank in Sydney/South Melbourne's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
Footnotes1. The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby and Jim Main, page 309. Return to Main Text |
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| He may have been less ostentatiously talented than his Brownlow Medal-winning brother Gerard, but Melbourne's Greg Healy was nevertheless a fine footballer in his own right. Gutsy, extremely determined, and highly effective, Greg Healy was a significant contributor to the Demons' upsurge in fortunes during the late 1980s. He joined Melbourne from Edithvale-Aspendale, and won a Morrish Medal for the best and fairest player in the VFL under nineteen competition in 1983. Not many Morrish Medallists go on to enjoy auspicious league careers, but Greg Healy was one such. Between 1984 and 1993 he played a total of 141 V/AFL games and kicked 167 goals. He had an exceptional year in 1986, winning both the club's best and fairest award and its leading goal kicker trophy, with 35 goals. Two years later, aged just twenty-two, he was appointed Dees captain, and promptly led them to their first grand final appearance in twenty-four years. The match was lost, and lost heavily (to Hawthorn), but Healy was one of his team's few noteworthy performers. An inspirational skipper, who led from the front, he retained the captaincy job for another couple of years, and continued to display exceptional on-field leadership qualities even after being replaced in the role by Garry Lyon. |
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Thomas Heaney (Richmond & Fitzroy)
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| His
VFL career may have been somewhat spasmodic, but Thomas Heaney was one of
the finest and most spectacular players of his era. Nicknamed 'The
Aeroplane' because of his remarkable aerial prowess, Heaney made his
league debut with Richmond during the club's
inaugural season at that level, 1908, but after some excellent
performances ended up missing much of the year through illness. He
played again in 1909, but ended up being sacked by the club for missing a
match without notifying club officials that he would be unavailable.
All was forgiven by the start of the next season, however, and he remained
at Punt Road for another three years before crossing to Fitzroy.
While with the Roys he had the satisfaction of participating in three grand finals, for wins in 1913 and 1916. Less overtly spectacular than during his heyday at Richmond, he was nevertheless extremely effective, and was widely acknowledged as one of the finest key position forwards in the game. Knee problems restricted his appearances towards the end of his career, and he missed the entire 1918 season. However, he resumed in 1919 and continued to make intermittent appearances until his retirement, after 154 VFL games (56 for Richmond and 98 at Fitzroy) in 1921. Heaney was Fitzroy's leading goalkicker in the club's premiership year of 1916, booting 27 goals. |
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Clarence Hearn (Essendon & Sandringham)
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| One of Essendon's most consistent players during an unsuccessful time for the club, Clarrie Hearn played 92 games and kicked 90 goals for the club between 1929 and 1935. He could play at the goalfront or across half back with equal facility, and was one of the quickest players in the league, emphasising that fact by winning the 1929 Stawell Gift. If he had a weakness, it was that his handling of the ball was sometimes slipshod, but his aerial work was excellent, and he kicked the ball superbly. In 1934 he represented the VFL against the VFA. The season after leaving Essendon he captain-coached Sandringham, but failed to get the side into the finals. |
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| Lindsay Heaven, who gloried in the nickname 'Pennies' (as in 'Pennies From Heaven'), was the archetypal loyal clubman who overcame a stuttering start to his league career with Woodville to become a bona fide stalwart. His 227 game SANFL career, which stretched from 1970 to 1985, featured only one finals appearance, and saw him claim the ignominy of representing the season's wooden spooner no fewer than seven times. Heaven's best football was played in defence, where he was solidly dependable and intermittently eye-catching. He won a club best and fairest award in 1981, and overall would have to be regarded as one of the Woodville Football Club's greatest, and certainly most loyal, servants. |
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Colin Hebbard (Essendon & West Perth)
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| In
a sign of things to come, Colin Hebbard went straight from junior football
(with Mt Hawthorn) in Western Australia to the VFL, although he had to
stand out of football for the better part of a year before securing a
clearance. He made his Essendon
debut in 1957, and went on to play 85 games for the Dons over the course
of the next five seasons, initially mainly as a half forward, and later as
a defender. Quick, courageous and spectacular, he occasionally
overdid things, but overall was highly effective and consistent.
In 1962, Hebbard returned home to Western Australia and joined West Perth. Over the course of five seasons and 93 games he was a distinguished performer for the Cardinals in what, on the whole, was a comparatively undistinguished time for the club. For some of his time at West Perth he was joined in the team by brothers Neville and Robert, and on one notable occasion in 1965 the trio comprised the entire Cardinals centreline. Colin Hebbard represented Western Australia on half a dozen occasions, including all 4 games at the 1966 Hobart carnival. After retiring as a player he served for a time as West Perth's chairman of selectors, and later as Essendon's West Australian recruiting officer. |
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William 'Paddy' Hebbard (Boulder City & East Perth)
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| 'Paddy' Hebbard was a top class centre half forward who began his senior career with goldfields side Boulder City. While with Boulder he made his interstate debut for Western Australia at the 1914 Sydney carnival, and won the league fairest and best award in 1919. In 1921 he crossed to East Perth, topping the club's goal kicking list with 23 goals in his first season. He was a member of the Royals' 1921, 1922 and 1923 premiership teams. He made further carnival appearances for Western Australia at Perth in 1921, and Hobart, as captain, in 1924, en route to a career tally of 14 interstate games. His final league season was 1925, when he captain-coached East Perth to 3rd place on the ladder. He played a total of 72 WAFL games for the Royals, kicking 73 goals. In June 2006 he gained selection at centre half forward in East Perth's official 'Team of the Century 1906 to 1944'. |
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Tom Hedley (Williamstown, Essendon, Footscray)
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| Tom Hedley commenced his senior career with Williamstown, for whom he played between 1899 and 1902. Williamstown was a top four side in the VFA throughout that period, and Hedley established a reputation as one of the most consistent and commanding ruckmen in the competition. As a result, it was no surprise when he was enticed to VFL club Essendon in 1903 where, initially at least, his performances only served to enhance his reputation. Midway through his debut season he was selected to represent the VFL against the Ballarat Football League in Ballarat. After 10 games of the 1904 season, however, it emerged that he was unhappy with football in the VFL, and he asked for a transfer to North Melbourne in the VFA. This was refused, but when the 1905 season began he was back in the VFA in any case, albeit with Footscray. Over the ensuing three seasons, Hedley proved himself a fine player with the Tricolours, whose rucks he led in the losing grand final of 1906 against West Melbourne. He later returned to Footscray for two further, brief stints, in 1909 and 1913. |
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| Fred Heifner, who went by the nickname 'Fritz', was a tireless workhorse in the Richmond rucks for 102 VFL games spanning seven seasons. Recruited from Richmond Districts, he made his league debut in 1929, and was in the Tigers' losing challenge final team against Collingwood that same season. He later also played in the losing grand final of 1931 against Geelong, and the winning game a year later against Carlton. Although not particularly tall at 180cm he possessed considerable strength, which he used to good effect both around the ground, and in ruck contests. |
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Ned Hender (Port Adelaide & Glenelg)
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| Ned
Hender was a superb rover whose reputation would perhaps have been even
higher had his career at Port Adelaide not
coincided to a large extent with that of one of the all time great small
men in the game's history, Bobby
Quinn. As it was, Hender played 166 SANFL games for Port between
1931 and 1940, during which time he was a near automatic interstate
selection for South Australia. His total of 25 state matches
included games at both the 1933 Sydney
and 1937 Perth carnivals,
and he was state captain against Western Australia in Perth in 1938.
Particularly damaging when resting in a forward pocket, Hender topped the
Magpies' goal kicking list in 1932 with 55 goals and the following season
with 48. He was a member of Port Adelaide premiership teams in 1936,
1937 and 1939.
In 1941 Ned Hender crossed to Glenelg where he added another 47 league appearances before retiring at the end of the 1946 season. He was the Bays' joint top goal kicker in his final season with 26 goals. |
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| An unspectacular but immensely effective full back, Herb Henderson was a vital cog in the Footscray machine that won a first ever VFL flag in 1954. Having arrived from Mildura Imperials, he made his senior VFL debut in 1950, and by his second season was being widely touted as a champion. His efforts against Essendon's legendary full forward John Coleman were particularly noteworthy: in seven clashes between the two, Coleman never managed to kick more than 4 goals. A quintessential 'no risks' player when contesting the ball in the air, almost invariably electing to spoil rather than attempt to mark unless he was clearly in a better position than his opponent, Henderson paradoxically loved to play on if he did happen to take a grab. He may have been a largely unelaborate, even dour, type of footballer, but he boasted plenty of pace, and was beautifully balanced. He was also a long, accurate kick. Between 1950 and 1958 he played a total of 130 VFL games for Footscray without kicking a goal. He was chosen in the prestigious 'Sporting Life' Team of the Year in 1953 and 1955, and was a regular VFL representative player. In May 2002, Herb Henderson was the presumably almost inevitable choice as full back in the Bulldogs' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
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John Henderson (Collingwood & Yarraville)
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| Despite
being heftily built at 187cm and 90.5kg, John Henderson was quick, agile
and exceptionally skilful. Nevertheless, when he tried out with Essendon,
the team he had supported as a boy, he was told that he was not good
enough for league football. Collingwood,
however, thought otherwise, and he went on to enjoy an auspicious ten
season, 143 game VFL career with the Magpies. Initially used mainly
as a half back, he eventually developed into one of the league's most
damaging centremen, a position in which he also represented the VFL in the
interstate arena on numerous occasions.
Henderson's last game for Collingwood was the heart-shattering 1 point loss to St Kilda in the 1966 grand final, in which he was named as a reserve. After leaving the VFL he briefly served as coach of VFA side Yarraville. |
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Robert Henderson (Fitzroy & Sunshine)
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| Imperturbably dogged, former Deniliquin full back Bob Henderson was one of Fitzroy's most consistent and highly regarded players of the 1950s. In 1953 and again between 1955 and 1962 he played a total of 137 VFL games, kicking only 1 goal, but preventing innumerable others. He was a VFL interstate representative in 1959, and after leaving Fitzroy he served from 1963 to 1967 as coach of the VFA's then youngest club, Sunshine. Henderson managed to get the Crows into the 2nd division finals every year, but a losing grand final against Geelong West in 1964 was the closest they came to achieving promotion. |
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Bill Hendrie (Richmond, Preston, Melbourne)
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| Ruckman Bill Hendrie commenced his senior career with Richmond, but when the club entered the VFL in 1908 he transferred to Preston. Clearly a player of considerable ability, Hendrie only spent a couple of seasons at Preston before securing a well earned elevation to league ranks with Melbourne. Powerful, tireless and scrupulously fair, he was a virtual ever present in the Redlegs' senior team for the next five seasons. His last season was 1915, when he added 4 VFL games for a final career tally of 87. He also kicked 40 goals. |
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| Without
question one of the game's bona fide all time greats, Ern Henfry made his
league debut for Perth, aged just seventeen, in
1937. He played just one game for the Redlegs that year, as indeed
he did in 1938, preferring to concentrate on his football with junior club
Victoria Mets. In 1939, however, he commenced his full scale league
career, performing to such good effect that in June he was selected to
represent Western Australia in a two match home series against the
VFL. The series was squared, with Henfry being particularly
conspicuous in the first match which Western Australia won by 12
points. Quite astonishingly, these would remain the only two
appearances made by Henfry for his home state as when he returned from
Victoria in the 1950s he was in his early thirties, and considered 'too old'.
Henfry continued to play for Perth in 1940-1, winning the club's fairest and best award in the latter year, before war service more or less put paid to his football ambitions for a time. He did, however, manage to play a couple of games for Carlton in the VFL while on leave in Melbourne in 1944. When the war was over, as chance would have it - and it was by chance, not design - he was relocated to Melbourne in his employment, and the Carlton hierarchy, which had been impressed with the promise he had shown a couple of years earlier, was keen to sign him. Perth, however, were initially reluctant to approve a clearance, and although Henfry eventually got them to change their minds, the WANFL clearance board refused to budge, forcing him to stand out of football for twelve months. A key ingredient in Henfry's make-up, indeed one of the things that made him so great, was his eagerness to learn and absorb new ideas. Instead of clicking his heels waiting to front up in 1947, he spent his time wisely, watching games, making notes on different tactical approaches, and generally assimilating the unique atmosphere of VFL football. So impressed were the powers-that-be at Carlton by Henfry's attitude that they pulled a big surprise by appointing him as captain for the 1947 season. It proved to be a move of rare insight and inspiration, as Henfry enjoyed a stupendous season, culminating in a best afield performance as the Blues edged out Essendon by the narrowest of margins on grand final day. Ern Henfry enjoyed a brief but remarkable 84 game VFL career with the Blues which yielded two best and fairest awards, the aforementioned flag, and not only membership of the VFL's interstate team, but its captaincy, a virtually unprecedented honour for a 'foreigner'. In 1953 Henfry returned home to Western Australia and was appointed captain-coach of his old club, Perth. The Redlegs made the finals that season, and again in the following year, before making the big breakthrough in 1955 with victory in one of the most emotionally inspiring grand finals ever played in any competition (reviewed here). Henfry had made the move to an off-field role that year, with Keith Harper assuming the captaincy, and the move enabled him to apply all of his meticulously acquired tactical acumen to the Redlegs' cause. He continued as non-playing coach of the Perth Football Club until the end of the 1959 season. A second stint as coach between 1962 and 1965 was crucial in laying the foundations of Perth's greatest ever era, which was eventually masterminded by Henfry's immediate successor, Mal Atwell. As a player, Ern Henfry was shrewd, assured and highly skilled - almost the perfect centreman, in fact. He carried many of the same qualities into the coaching sphere where his achievement in elevating perennial underachievers Perth to its first premiership since 1907 was alone sufficient to ensure his perpetual veneration by all West Australians with red and black blood flowing through their veins. More than a handful of Carlton aficionados would no doubt entertain similar sentiments. |
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Ted Henrys (Brunswick & Preston)
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| When
Brunswick's Ted Henrys called it a day in 1950
after 70 games for the club over the previous five years it seemed he had
merely been "one of a number of handy VFA players, the type of fellow
who would make a good coach of a country club or soon be forgotten (after)
he retired" (see footnote 1). Henrys'
wife, though, had other ideas, and persuaded him to have another stab at
Association football with Preston, for
whom he made a fairly promising debut in the seconds in the opening round
of the 1951 season. Promoted to the league side the following week,
Henrys went from strength to strength, particularly after being shifted to
what was for him the unaccustomed position of full back. The
Bullants were not a strong team at this time, but with Henrys on the last
line of defence they became a good deal harder to beat. Voted
Preston's best and fairest player in 1951-2-3 he made history in the last
of those years by earning selection in the inaugural All
Australian team after representing the VFA at the
Adelaide carnival. Henrys and Frank
Johnson of Port Melbourne were the
first Association players to be so honoured.
Despite not being tall, Ted Henrys was strong overhead, and his kicking was superb. On one occasion he was credited with a drop kick of 69.5 metres. After 98 games for the Bullants, Henrys retired at the end of the 1955 season. Between 1963 and 1967 he served as assistant coach of the club, and actually took the field as a player on half a dozen occasions, on the last of which he was 43 years of age. |
Footnotes1. The Pioneers: 100 Years of Association Football by Marc Fiddian, page 170. Return to Main Text |
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Ross Henshaw (North Melbourne)
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| Despite a career long battle with injury, Ross Henshaw was a fine servant of the North Melbourne Football Club in 167 VFL games between 1971 and 1983. Tough, brave and dashing, he played the majority of his games in the back pocket, including the winning grand finals of 1975 against Hawthorn, and 1977 against Collingwood. Henshaw, who hailed originally from North Albury, also played in the losing grand finals of 1976 and 1978, both of which were against Hawthorn. Not the most spectacular or flamboyant of players, he was nevertheless a highly effective cog in Ron Barassi's Kangaroo machine. |
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Barney Herbert (Richmond & Brunswick)
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| A hefty, occasionally cumbersome follower whose kicking for goal was often described as laughable, Barney Herbert was nevertheless an extremely important player for Richmond during the club's early years in the VFL. Hard working and extremely determined, he played 192 games and kicked 90 goals between 1909 and 1912 and from 1914 to 1921, winning his club's best and fairest award in 1918 and 1919. He led the ruck and was close to best afield in Richmond's 1920 challenge final defeat of Collingwood, while his last game in a black and yellow jumper was the following year's victorious premiership play-off against Carlton. After retiring as a player Barney Herbert spent time as coach of South Ballarat and Brunswick before returning to Richmond as club president in 1932. |
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John Heriot (South Melbourne & Yarraville)
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| Renowned
for his ability to get his stick insect-like frame high off the ground, South
Melbourne's John Heriot is nowadays remembered as one of the finest full
backs of his era. When he initially arrived at the Lake Oval from
Spotswood, however, it was with a glowing reputation as a forward, and
indeed he never entirely forsook his goalkicking prowess, with the Swans
often switching him to the forward lines when things were going badly.
A member of the VFL's 1961 Brisbane carnival team, Heriot was a model of consistency throughout his eleven season, 153 game league career, and the high esteem which he generated during that time was officially recognised in August 2003 with his selection as full back in the club's official 'Team of the 20th Century'. After leaving the Swans at the end of the 1968 season, John Heriot briefly served as coach of Yarraville. |
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Kim Hetherington (East Fremantle & Swan Districts)
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| As a medium-sized running player with ticks in all the right boxes, Kim Hetherington ought by rights to have been a champion, but his progress was all too often undermined by niggling injuries. East Fremantle recruited him from Geraldton and he made his league debut with the then reigning premiers in 1980. Hetherington spent four seasons with Old Easts (or the Sharks as they became known in 1983), playing 53 senior games, but missing almost as many through either injury or poor form. He crossed to Swan Districts in 1984 but his injury woes continued, and in his first three seasons at Bassendean he managed just 35 league appearances. When fit, he was capable of playing in almost any position, and at his best was a match for anyone. He began to show that best more regularly during his final four seasons and he ultimately crowned his career in the best way imaginable by helping Swans overcome Claremont by 26 points in the 1990 grand final in what was the last of his 116 game stint with the club. |
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Arthur 'Reg' Heusler (Norwood, Claremont, Perth)
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| When
Claremont recruited Arthur Heusler -
popularly known as 'Reg' - in 1938 his credentials did not seem all that
impressive, in that since managing 4 senior games for Norwood
in 1935 he had been playing his football in South Australian country
areas. However, Heusler's signing proved to be a master stroke, as
he would go on to become an integral part of the Monts team that would
dominate West Australian football for three years. Playing mainly as
a centre half forward, Heusler made a total of 70 league appearances in
four seasons with the club, and was a member of all three of their winning
grand finals: against East Fremantle in
1938 and 1939, and against South
Fremantle in 1940. In the 14.11 (95) to 11.10 (76) victory over
Old Easts in 1939 he gave a majestic display of the centre half
forward's craft, highlighted by superb marking and prodigious, and
accurate, kicking, to be many observers' choice as best
afield.
Between 1942 and 1944 the WANFL senior competition was suspended, and when it resumed Reg Heusler had departed for pastures new, having been appointed captain-coach of Perth. He spent just one, inauspicious year in the role as the side managed a mere 8 wins from 20 matches to finish second from bottom, but from the playing point of view he continued to produce excellent football. Top goal kicker for the Redlegs in 1945 with 34 goals, he continued as a player under new coach Sydney Sinclair the following year, and when he retired had added a final 23 WANFL games to his career tally. |
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| Universally known as 'Snowy', Perth's Arthur Hewby was an effective half forward or half back flanker who played a total of 59 WAFL games during a somewhat staccato league career that began in 1920 and ended, after three separate stints, nine years later. He was one of two Perth players to represent Western Australia at the 1921 carnival, which was played on home soil, and from which the sandgropers emerged victorious. Playing on a half back flank, Hewby put in a particularly noteworthy display in the final quarter of the decisive match of the carnival against South Australia, when he helped his team mates restrict the croweaters to just 3 behinds for the term. |
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| Whyalla-born Don Hewett was a fine servant of the Glenelg Football Club in 118 SANFL games between 1954 and 1962. He also booted 83 goals, and was a South Australian interstate representative 4 times. Regularly confronted by illness and injury problems, his courage was said by Bays secretary Ray Curnow to be "a legend in our club" (see footnote 1). Energetic, dashing and constructive, Hewett quit league football while still at his peak, having just won the Tigers' best and fairest award, and aged just twenty-eight, in order to coach the club from which he originally hailed, South Whyalla. |
Footnotes1. The South Australian Football Yearbook 1963, page 34. Return to Main Text |
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Glynn Hewitt (West Adelaide, Woodville, South Adelaide)
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| Glynn Hewitt was a fine key position forward who might have achieved even more in the game had he played for stronger clubs. As it was, in seventeen seasons of league football, with three different clubs, he only participated in three finals series, with West Adelaide's third position in 1977 the closest he ever came to premiership honours. Hewitt began his senior career with West in 1970, and by his second season it was clear that the club had unearthed a significant talent. Strong overhead, extremely mobile, and a fine kick, he played a total of 119 SANFL games in the red and black jumper, booting 248 goals and topping the club's goal kicking list twice, and earning state selection for South Australia at the 1972 Perth carnival. In 1978 he crossed to Woodville where he added another 80 league games and 203 goals, with his tally of 83 in his second season being good enough to top the SANFL list. He was the 'Peckers' leading goal kicker three times. Hewitt's final port of call was South Adelaide where he played another 86 games and kicked 78 goals between 1982 and 1986. When he retired, his tally of 529 career goals in 285 games placed him fourteenth on the SANFL's all time career aggregate goal kicking ladder. Glynn Hewitt also played 5 interstate games for South Australia, booting 13 goals. |
