William Albert Henry Perkins, or 'Polly' as he was affectionately known, 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 was a member of

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

's 1943 premiership side. Born in England, Perkins was recruited from Dandenong District Association club

Noble Park Noble Park is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Greater Dandenong local government area. Noble Park recorded a population of 32,257 at the . ...

and made his senior

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) debut in

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

. Playing as a defender, Perkins also represented

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in interstate football and retired after the

1949 VFL season The 1949 VFL season was the 53rd season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 16 April until 24 September, and comprised a ...

. He later coached

Brighton Football Club Brighton Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). The club was based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, and was nicknamed the Penguins. After suffering financial hardship t ...

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). Perkins died on 29 May 2009, aged 89. Prior to his death, his was the last surviving player of the 1943 Premiership side.

References

* Hogan P: ''The Tigers of Old'', Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996 1920 births 2009 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Richmond Football Club players Richmond Football Club Premiership players Brighton Football Club players Brighton Football Club coaches VFL/AFL players born in England One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players English emigrants to Australia Sportspeople from Leicester {{AFL-bio-1920s-stub