Bill Findlay
Encyclopedia
Bill Findlay was a former Australian rules football
er who played with Footscray
and North Melbourne
in the Victorian Football League
(VFL). He played as a rover and was sometimes pushed forward where he was a handy goalkicker, averaging two goals a game.
Findlay was started his league career with his local side Footscray and played his first game of VFL in 1933. He managed just the one game in his debut season and four in the next prompting him to move to North Melbourne in 1935
.
He took over the captaincy partway through the 1941 season and remained in that position until the end of 1943. His leadership role expanded to captain and coach for the latter part of 1942 and the entire 1943 season. During this time he found himself resting in the forward pocket
and was North's leading goal kicker in 1943, 1944 and 1945.
In 1946 he joined Port Melbourne Football Club
in the Victorian Football Association
(VFA) and started with 88 goals in his first season, including winning the Best and Fairest, and kicking 107 in his next. As captain-coach he led the club to the premiership in 1947. He was later named as a rover in Port Melbourne's official 'Team of the Century'.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played with Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
and North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL). He played as a rover and was sometimes pushed forward where he was a handy goalkicker, averaging two goals a game.
Findlay was started his league career with his local side Footscray and played his first game of VFL in 1933. He managed just the one game in his debut season and four in the next prompting him to move to North Melbourne in 1935
1935 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1935.-Premiership season:In 1935, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man...
.
He took over the captaincy partway through the 1941 season and remained in that position until the end of 1943. His leadership role expanded to captain and coach for the latter part of 1942 and the entire 1943 season. During this time he found himself resting in the forward pocket
Forward pocket
In Australian rules football, the forward pocket refers to a position on the field deep in offense.Forward pocket players, situated in the forward line, need to have good avoidance and goal sneak skills and usually, quality forward-pockets are noted for their agility and ability to score difficult...
and was North's leading goal kicker in 1943, 1944 and 1945.
In 1946 he joined Port Melbourne Football Club
Port Melbourne Football Club
The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne and is currently playing in the Victorian Football League ....
in the Victorian Football Association
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
(VFA) and started with 88 goals in his first season, including winning the Best and Fairest, and kicking 107 in his next. As captain-coach he led the club to the premiership in 1947. He was later named as a rover in Port Melbourne's official 'Team of the Century'.