Alfred Thomas George (7 September 1884 – 28 April 1946) was an

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

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

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 Ki ...

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 ...

(VFL). George was the captain of Melbourne for the 1912 and 1913 seasons.

Early life

George was born in Mount Egerton on 7 September 1884. He played football for Seymour,

Numurkah Numurkah ( ) is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of Shepparton, in the Shire of Moira. At the , Numurkah had a population of 4,768. History The area was occupied by the Yorta Yorta people prior t ...

and, finally, Essendon Association, before being recruited to play for Essendon.

Football career

Essendon

George was recruited at the beginning of 1906 and he made his VFL debut in round 3 of that year, going on to play 16 games in his first season. George generally played as a ruckman, but could also play in defence and was known for his marking ability. In total, he played 33 games for Essendon between 1906 and 1909, with his best season for Essendon being his first, where he played in a losing semi final.

Melbourne

After leaving Essendon at the end of 1909, George did not play in the VFL again until he transferred to Melbourne for the 1911 season. He played 12 matches for the season and kicked his first goal in the VFL. Despite only being at Melbourne for one season, George was named Melbourne's

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

for 1912. He was captain for two seasons, and he left the club at the end of 1913. During his two seasons as captain, Melbourne finished sixth and ninth. George returned for one final season in 1915, playing 14 games and kicking two goals; the team concluded the year by losing in a semi final. While playing with Melbourne, George formed a "famous" and "powerful" ruck combination with

Hedley Tomkins Hedley Whiteway Tomkins (11 June 1885 – 6 February 1965) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Tomkins played his early football with Metropolitan Junior Football As ...

and

Bill Hendrie William Tulloch Hendrie (22 January 1884 – 11 May 1939) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Austral ...

. In May 1919, an unidentified former Melbourne footballer, wrote to the football correspondent of ''The Argus'' as follows: ::"In 1914 the Melbourne football team, after its junction with the University, was a fine team, and succeeded in reaching the semi-finals.
Out of this combination the following players enlisted and served at the front:—
C. Lilley (seriously wounded), J. Hassett, H. Tomkins (severely wounded), J. Evans (seriously wounded), W. Hendrie, R. L. Park, J. Doubleday (died), A. Best, C. Burge (killed), C. (viz., A.) Williamson (killed), J. Brake, R. Lowell, E. Parsons (seriously wounded), A. M. Pearce (killed), F. Lugton (killed), A. George, C. Armstrong, P. Rodriguez (killed), J. Cannole (viz., Connole), A. Fraser (seriously wounded), T. Collins.
These are all players of note, and in themselves would have formed a very fine side, but there is only one of them playing at the present time, viz., C. Lilley, who, as a matter of fact, takes the field under some disability owing to severe wounds which he received on service." — ''The Argus'', 16 May 1919.

Prahran

After ending his VFL career with Melbourne, George played 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) with

Prahran Football Club Prahran Assumption Football Club (), nicknamed The Two Blues, is an Australian rules football club based at Toorak Park in Orrong Road between High Street and Malvern Road, Armadale, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club is currently in D ...

World War I

George worked as an engine driver, both during and after his football career. Due to this background, he enlisted in the Railways Unit of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 10 January 1917. When George enrolled he was immediately given the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

and left Australia, to fight on the Western Front, aboard HMAT A70 ''Ballarat''. At the time of embarkation, George was living in

Kensington, Victoria Kensington is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Kensington recorded a population of 10,745 at the 2021 ...

with his wife, Lilla. George's service was uncontroversial; he was never wounded, nor did he receive any honours or awards. He returned safely to Australia on 19 August 1919 after the conclusion of the war.

Later life

George died on 28 April 1946 after a long illness. His obituary in '' The Argus'' described him as a "champion footballer" who was a "well-known follower in the decade preceding the First World War".

References

External links

*
Alf George's profile
on the Essendon Football Club website {{DEFAULTSORT:George, Alf 1884 births 1946 deaths Australian military personnel of World War I Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Essendon Association Football Club players Essendon Football Club players Melbourne Football Club captains Melbourne Football Club players Prahran Football Club players Seymour Football Club players Numurkah Football Club players