2014 Round 21, Three quarter time.

2nd August Birthdays.

 

Gordon Dann '44, Tony Fury '63, Graham Gaunt '53, Scott Maginness '66, Justin Pickering '67.

 PLAYER OF THE DAY. Alex Jesaulenko, born 2nd August 1945.

Like many other great players of our game Alex was not born in Australia but came from Austria and didn't play Australian Rules until he was 14.

Living in Canberra he was not zoned to a VFL club and could not be signed up, however he found his way to Carlton where he became a champion of the game.

From 1967 to 1979 he massed up 424 goals from 256 games which included 4 Premierships with 1 as Captain/Coach. 

Internal  disruption  saw  him  leave  Carlton  to  join
St. Kilda in 1980.  During his time at the club he was in 23 games for 20 goals and again spent some time as coach. 

Along the way, as well as the 4 flags, he represented Victoria 15 times and was All Australian in 1969 and 1972.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.

Merv McIntosh – Triple Sandover Medalist.

Merv was a big bodied Ruckman that played for Perth in the WAFL over a 17 year period that was interrupted by the Second World War.

First playing in 1939, his last game was a winning Grand Final in 1955.  He played 217 games for the club and captained the side from 1947 to 1949.

Picking up the Sandover medal in 1948, 1953 and 1954, he played 23 state games for Western Australia and was All Australian in 1953.

Merv was also inducted into the WA Institute of Sport Hall of Champions in 1987.

Source: WAIS web site and AFL Record Season Guide 2013.

Jack and John Cassin.

Jack Cassin played for Essendon from 1936 to 1947 in 152 games and kicked 145 goals as a follower.

He was part of the 1942 and 1946 Premiership sides and after his career ended he coached Colac.

John Cassin also played for Essendon from 1971 to 1974 for 51 games and 32 goals. He started his journey on a wing but was later used as a ruck rover.

In 1977 he re-ignited his career at North Melbourne where he was in 78 games for 83 goals which included their 1977 Flag side.

His third club was Fitzroy who he joined in 1981 and played just 5 games in the 2 years he was there.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.

Tom Wills.

Though Tom Wills was born in New South Wales his father, who was a wealthy pastoralist, sent his son to the Rugby school in England.

Whilst there Tom played 'football' and cricket and after returning to Australia he became part of the Melbourne Cricket Club.

It was in 1858 when he was secretary of the MCC that he wrote a letter to the editor of the sporting newspaper Bells Life in Victoria. 

In his letter he bemoaned the lack of a winter sport for the cricketers to keep up their fitness.  He further suggested that a code of football be introduced, but not the game he had played in England.

Thus it was that Wills, together with 3 others and  formulated the early ‘rules’ for this new Australian Rules Football.

Source: Our Game by Jim Main.

 

Three Number 8’s At Tigerland.

Three Richmond players have collectively played over 30 seasons of football in the number 8 jumper.

Allan Geddes played 182 games and kicked 14 goals for the club between 1925 and 1935.

One of the most balanced and best thinking footballers of all time his team mates were more than happy to get the ball into his hands.

During his career he captained the club in 1927-28 and 1930, won the Best and Fairest in 1926, was in 9 state games and 2 premiership teams.

Dick Clay was at Richmond from 1966 to 1976, starting out as a forward but finishing his career in the back line.

4 of his 213 games (80 goals) were premierships, and he also played 2 games for Victoria.

Michael Roach inherited the number 8 from Dick Clay and certainly kept the tradition going by playing 200 games and scoring 607 goals from 1977 to 1989.

He topped the club goal kicking in 7 seasons including a record breaking 112 goals in 1980.

Michael was part of the Tigers Premiership team in 1980 and also won the Coleman Medal that year and again in 1981.  He played in 3 state games and was All Australian in 1979.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.