Roy Alexander Simmonds (29 December 1928 – 9 August 2008) 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 with

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 ...

in the VFL during the 1950s. Simmonds was used all around the ground by Hawthorn, most often though on the half back flank. His finest season came in 1956 where he won Hawthorn's best and fairest and finished equal fourth in the Brownlow Medal count. He represented Victoria at the 1956 Perth interstate football carnival. His career ended when he was controversially omitted from the 1961 Grand Final. Simmonds coached Hawthorn for one game in 1973 as regular coach John Kennedy was coaching the Victorian State team. In 2003 he was chosen on the interchange bench in Hawthorn's official 'Team of the Century'. He worked as a grounds maintenance worker at East Doncaster Secondary in his later life, for a total of fourteen years. On 9 August 2008, Simmonds died from cancer.Hawthorn legend toyed with the best
/ref>

Honours and achievements

Individual * Hawthorn best and fairest: 1956 *

life member *

Team of the Century

References

External links

* 1928 births 2008 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Hawthorn Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club coaches Peter Crimmins Medal winners {{AFL-bio-1920s-stub