2014 Round 25, Quarter time.

26th August Birthdays.

 

Jess Sinclair 1978.

 PLAYER OF THE DAY. Neil Mann, born 26th August 1924.

Having a hand span of 28cm Neil is renowned to have had the biggest pair of hands in the league, so it is no wonder he was a strong mark. 

Trying out for the thirds at St. Kilda but not staying, he was not able to get a game with Collingwood Technical School but did get picked up by Collingwood and first played for them in 1945. 

Playing firstly at full forward and centre half forward, he started to really shine when moved to centre half back. His career included 179 games for Collingwood from 1945-'56 for 155 goals, being their leading goal kicker in 1947 and representing Victoria 10 times.

He was also club Captain in 1955-'56 and played in the 1953 Premiership team. Reserves coach at the Magpies for 14 years, he was the senior coach from 1972-'74. 
 

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.

Footscray Team Of The Century-Back Line.

Charlie Sutton was Captain-Coach of Footscrays only Premiership team and was named in the back pocket in their team of the century, a position he played with great skill.

In 1942 and then from 1946-1956 he played 173 games for the club and kicked 65 goals. He was Captain-Coach from 1951-’56 and was replaced as Coach in 1957.

Other achievements include, Best and Fairest in 1950, joint leading goal kicker in 1951 and representing Victoria 18 times, including the roll of Captain-Coach in 1952.

Herb Henderson, at full back, was with the club from 1950 – 1958 in 130 games and once in the team didn’t move from that position.

Voted second best ever full back by a panel of judges in 1970, he held the great John Coleman to very low figures in the 7 games they played on each other, the best being 4 goals. Part of the clubs flag winning team, he also represented Victoria in 1954 and ’55.

John Schultz lines up in the other back pocket, even though in club games he only rested there as he was one of the hardest yet fairest ruckmen to play on.

From 1958-’68 he played 188 games for 39 goals and was selected in the state side in his first year and represented Victoria 24 times in all.

Winning the clubs Best and Fairest 5 times, he was also the Brownlow Medalist in 1960.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers & Wikipedia.

Geelong Moves To Kardinia Park.

Geelong, being one of the oldest Australian Rules clubs, was an automatic inclusion when the VFL was established in 1897 and they played their home games at the Corio oval.

After the round 17 game in 1940 the army took over the ground as a station for troops, meaning that Geelong had to find a new home.

 

Kardinia Park (Skilled Stadium) as it is now after the latest redevelopment.

 

In 1941 they moved to Kardinia Park, situated in the middle of Geelong.  The ground had a good surface but the facilities weren’t the best.

At the end of the year, due to war time travel restrictions and petrol rationing, Geelong football club went into recession until 1944.

When they resumed playing they voted to keep Kardinia Park as their home ground and they have been there ever since.

Source: Our Game by Jim Main.

Paul Harding-Journeyman.

First on Hawthorns list, Paul played 11 games for the club in 1987-’88 and kicked 2 goals.  This was probably a poor return, given that the Hawks had to go to court to secure his services.

1989 found him at St. Kilda where he spent the next 3 seasons for 62 games and 7 goals, showing some of the form that Hawthorn had seen in him originally.

Returning to his native Western Australia in 1992 he got to play for West Coast, who he wanted to play for from the start.  And it paid off, with him being instrumental in their 1992 Premiership win.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.