Leslie John "Les" Meek (21 July 1918 – 5 May 1971) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Les Meek | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Leslie John Meek | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 1918 | ||
| Place of birth | Ballarat, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 5 May 1971 (aged 52) | ||
| Place of death | Ganmain, New South Wales | ||
| Original team(s) | Ararat | ||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1941–1947 | St Kilda | 49 (11) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1947. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Biography
editMeek, who was born in Ballarat, came down from Ararat to play for St Kilda.[1][2]
He was selected for the opening round of the 1941 VFL season on the back of a nine-goal haul in a practise game, but played most of his football at St Kilda across half-back.[2][3] In round two he appeared in the first ever VFL game held at Kardinia Park.[4][5]
His VFL career was interrupted by war service, while he played 37 games from 1941 to 1943, he missed the entire 1944 and 1945 seasons.[4][6] He returned in 1946 and made 11 appearances, although he had to sit out eight weeks through suspension, for kicking Melbourne player Jack Mueller in round nine.[4][7]
In 1947 he played in only one game before leaving early in the season for New South Wales, as the new playing coach of Ganmain.[4][8] He coached Ganmain to back to back South West Football League (New South Wales) premierships in 1948 and 1949.[9][10]
References
edit- ^ "World War Two Nominal Roll". Government of Australia. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ a b Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
- ^ "More Pace at Richmond". The Argus. Melbourne. 21 April 1941. p. 9. Retrieved 18 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d "AFL Tables – Les Meek – Games Played". AFL Tables. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Football of High Grade". The Argus. Melbourne. 5 May 1941. p. 10. Retrieved 18 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Sportsmen All". The Sporting Globe (2 ed.). Melbourne. 8 August 1942. p. 2.
- ^ "League Players Suspended". The Argus. Melbourne. 21 June 1946. p. 17.
- ^ "Victorian to Coach Ganmain; Keen Aust. Rules Games". Daily Advertiser. Wagga Wagga, NSW. 16 May 1947. p. 6. Retrieved 18 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Wagga Aust. Rules May Play 1st Grade Matches on Saturday in 1949". The Daily Advertiser. Wagga Wagga, NSW. 18 October 1948. p. 6.
- ^ "S.W.D.F.L. Grand Final". The Daily Advertiser. Wagga Wagga, NSW. 3 October 1949. p. 6.
External links
edit- Les Meek's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Les Meek at AustralianFootball.com