Cyril Collard (footballer)

Cyril Collard (20 September 1934 – 20 December 2011) played 13 games for Australian rules football club Hawthorn between 1957 and 1958, scoring 3 goals.[1] He was the first Indigenous Australian to play for Hawthorn[2] being of the Noongar people of Western Australia.

Cyril Collard
Personal information
Date of birth (1934-09-20)20 September 1934
Date of death 20 December 2011(2011-12-20) (aged 77)
Original team(s) Subiaco
Height 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 73 kg (161 lb)
Position(s) Rover
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1957–1958 Hawthorn 13 (3)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1958.
Career highlights

Noongar Sports Award Recipient, 1998

Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Collard started his career at Subiaco Football Club achieving top three finishes in the best and fairest award during his two seasons at the club.[3] He moved to Melbourne in 1956 and after initially training with Collingwood he chose to play with Hawthorn.[4] Subiaco, however refused to clear him[5] and he sat out of football for the 1956 season until the National Football Council granted him a clearance for the 1957 season.[6][7]

After retiring from professional football Collard became a professional runner reaching the final of a Stawell Gift.[3]

He served in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade between 7 February 1958 and 3 June 1988 reaching the rank of senior fire fighter.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ AFL Tables - All Time Records - Hawthorn
  2. ^ "Aboriginal Hawks"[permanent dead link], The Age, 8 May 2005
  3. ^ a b "Who am I?" Archived 22 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine Lion's Roar: Official Newsletter of the Subiaco Football Club, June 2006.
  4. ^ "Mystery of 3 'missing' players". The Argus. Melbourne. 1 March 1956. p. 20. Retrieved 17 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "A plea fails in the West, and HAWKS WON'T GET STAR FROM WA". The Argus. Melbourne. 21 June 1956. p. 19. Retrieved 17 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ Round 16 Footy Flashbacks[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "THREE GET "ALL CLEAR"". The Argus. Melbourne. 24 November 1956. p. 24. Retrieved 17 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.