George Davidson (13 June 1872 – 25 August 1945) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football Association and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1] His football career ended prematurely when he broke his leg in 1900.
| George Davidson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Davidson in 1899 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | George Davidson | ||
| Date of birth | 13 June 1872 | ||
| Place of birth | Bealiba, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 25 August 1945 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Corryong, Victoria | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1897–1900 | South Melbourne | 37 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1900. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Family
editThe eighth of the ten children of David Davidson (1824-1895),[2][3] and Hellen Davidson (1828-1887), née Forrest,[4] George Davidson was born at Bealiba, Victoria, on 13 June 1872.
He married Alice Margaret Graves (1879-1962), at Rutherglen, Victoria, on 25 October 1904.[5] They had four children.
Football
editCollingwood (VFA)
editRecruited from Mission Ramblers in 1894,[6] he played in 13 games (kicked 2 goals) for Collingwood in the VFA over the team's last three seasons in the VFA competition (1894-1896).[7]
South Melbourne (VFL)
editHe played his first match for South Melbourne, against Geelong, at the Lake Oval on 24 July 1897.[8]
In his second-last match, playing on the half-back flank, he was one of the best players in the South Melbourne 1899 Grand Final team that lost to Fitzroy by one point: 3.8 (26) to 3.9 (27).[9]
In the final quarter of his last match for South Melbourne, against Essendon on 5 May 1900 — he had been appointed the team's captain for the 1900 season[10] — he fell and broke his leg.[11] He did not play VFL football again.[12][13]
1899 team of "champions"
editAt the end of the 1899 season, in the process of naming his own "champion player", the football correspondent for The Argus, Reginald Wilmot ("Old Boy"), selected a team of the best players of the 1899 VFL competition:
- Backs: Maurie Collins (Essendon), Bill Proudfoot (Collingwood), Peter Burns (Geelong).
- Halfbacks: Pat Hickey (Fitzroy), George Davidson (South Melbourne), Alf Wood (Melbourne).
- Centres: Fred Leach (Collingwood), Firth McCallum (Geelong), Harry Wright (Essendon).
- Wings: Charlie Pannam (Collingwood), Eddie Drohan (Fitzroy), Herb Howson (South Melbourne).
- Forwards: Bill Jackson (Essendon), Eddy James (Geelong), Charlie Colgan (South Melbourne).
- Ruck: Mick Pleass (South Melbourne), Frank Hailwood (Collingwood), Joe McShane (Geelong).
- Rovers: Dick Condon (Collingwood), Bill McSpeerin (Fitzroy), Teddy Rankin (Geelong).
From those he considered to be the three best players — that is, Condon, Hickey, and Pleass — Wilmot selected Pat Hickey as his "champion player" of the season.[14]
Death
editHe died (suddenly) at Corryong, Victoria on 25 August 1945.[15][16][17]
Notes
edit- ^ Holmesby & Main (2014), p.209.
- ^ Gossip, The Sportsman, (Tuesday, 4 June 1895), p.6.
- ^ Deaths: Davidson, The Argus, (Tuesday, 28 May 1895), p.1.
- ^ Deaths: Davidson, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Thursday, 14 April May 1887), p.2.
- ^ Marriages: Davidson—Graves, The Leader, (Saturday, 26 November 1904.
- ^ Collingwood v. Carlton, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Friday, 14 September 1894), p.3.
- ^ George Davidson, 1894-1896, Collingwood Forever.
- ^ The Football Season, The Argus, (Monday, 26 July 1897), p.5.
- ^ 'Old Boy', "Football: Notes on Saturday's Games: The Premiership Final", The Argus, (Monday, 18 September 1899), p.6.
- ^ For the team's second game, and for the rest of the 1900 season, Bill Windley served as the team's captain.
- ^ Accidents at Football, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Saturday, 5 May 1900), p.4.
- ^ Benefit Sports Meeting, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 29 September 1900), p.2.
- ^ Benefit to Mr. George Davidson, The Argus, (Tuesday, 2 October 1900), p.6.
- ^ 'Old Boy', "Football: A Review of the Season", (Monday, 18 September 1899), p. 6.
- ^ Personal, The Corryong Courier, (Thursday, 30 August 1945), p.2.
- ^ Death: Davidson, The Corryong Courier, (Thursday, 30 August 1945), p.2.
- ^ Deaths: Davidson, The Argus, (Thursday, 30 August 1945), p.2.
References
edit- Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2014), The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: Every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.), Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
External links
edit
- George Davidson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- George Davidson at AustralianFootball.com