Alan Stoneham (born 20 August 1955) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for Footscray and

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

Footscray career

Raised in the famous footballing suburb of Braybrook, Stoneham played junior football for

Sunshine Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...

in the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFA) before his recruitment by Footscray at 16 in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

." Cited as a prodigy, great things were expected of Stoneham and he was rewarded with Footscary legend

Ted Whitten Edward James Whitten Sr. OAM (27 July 1933 – 17 August 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Born and raised into a working-class family in Footscray, Whit ...

's number three guernsey. Playing as a versatile centreman or occasionally up forward, Stoneham was a highly talented player yet his career never seemed to match the expectations Footscray recruiters and supporters had of him. During the mid 1970s Footscray made the finals only twice yet failed to win on either occasion, and the club endured numerous departures of highly talented players in this period.

Essendon career

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

Stoneham transferred to Essendon, securing a solid spot as a defender under coaches Barry Davis and Kevin Sheedy. During the

1983 VFL season The 1983 VFL season was the 87th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 26 March until 24 September, and comprised a ...

, he was involved in a controversial incident against

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

with Hawthorn star

Robert DiPierdomenico Berto "Robert" DiPierdomenico (born 5 May 1958) is a retired Australian rules footballer who represented in the Australian Football League (AFL) from the 1970s to the 1990s. Popularly known by his nickname "Dipper", DiPierdomenico is one of th ...

where Stoneham was concussed after the half time

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, and assisted from the field with a black eye. He ended his career later that year, captaining a victorious Essendon reserves side to a premiership. Stoneham played 128 games with Footscray and a further 78 with Essendon, for a total of 200 senior games, kicking 62 goals.

References

* 1955 births Living people Western Bulldogs players Essendon Football Club players Sunshine Football Club (VFA) players Australian rules footballers from Melbourne People from Braybrook, Victoria {{AFL-bio-1950s-stub