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 |
