Edward Goderich Greeves (16 December 1878 – 11 August 1935) 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
Geelong
Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
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).
Early years
Greeves, the son of Edward Goderich and Julia Anderson, was born in
Skipton, Victoria, on 16 December 1878.
He was a noted sportsman at
Geelong College
, motto_translation = Thus one goes to the stars
, established =
, type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school
, denomination = in association with the Uniting ...
, which he joined in 1890, captain of the football team, and winner of the College Cup in 1897.
VFL career
Greeves debuted for Geelong in the
1897 VFL finals series
The Victorian Football League's 1897 finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season. It began on the weekend of August 21, 1897, and ended on the weekend of September 3, 1897. Essendon was crowned the 1897 VFL premi ...
, a round-robin competition between the league's top four ranked sides. Geelong, which had lost their first fixture to
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 ...
, called up the 18-year-old Geelong College captain for their second game of the series, against
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 ...
at
Brunswick Street Oval.
Playing as a backman, Greeves was reported to have done well in his role, with the Geelong side securing a nine-point win to remain in the race for the premiership.
[ He kept his spot in the team for the third and final round of the series, in which Geelong defeated Collingwood at East Melbourne, a win that was only enough to secure the runners-up position for Geelong, as Essendon had remained unbeaten.
In the 1898 season, Greeves got his first opportunity in round five against ]Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
and was described by the ''Geelong Advertiser
The ''Geelong Advertiser'' is a daily newspaper circulating in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, the Bellarine Peninsula, and surrounding areas. First published on 21 November 1840, the ''Geelong Advertiser'' is the oldest newspaper title in Victor ...
'' as having played a "dashing game" as a rover, but he wouldn't reappear for two months. He played three games for Geelong late in the season, including a best-on-ground performance in a win over Melbourne, which he played as a centreman.1899
Events January 1899
* January 1
** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.
** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City.
* January 2 –
**Bolivia sets up a c ...
, his final season. He made a total of 14 appearances, the last a record-setting margin over St Kilda, 162 points to 1, which would last for 20 years.[
]
Later life
Greeves married Frances Adaline Nasmith on 28 January 1903, at Scots Church, Collins Street, Melbourne. The couple lived in Warragul.
Their eldest son, Edward Jr, was born later that year. He won the inaugural Brownlow Medal
The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...
in 1924 and became a Geelong Legend and Australian Football Hall of Famer.
On 11 August 1935, Greeves died in Geelong at the age of 56.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Greeves, Ted
1878 births
1935 deaths
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
Geelong Football Club players
People educated at Geelong College