Albert Thurgood
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Albert John "The Great" Thurgood (born 11 January 1874 in North Melbourne, died 1927) was a legendary Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.
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[edit] Early life
Born on January 11, 1874 at Errol Street, North Melbourne, to John Thurgood, a builder and Amelia, née Buckland. He was no mere footballer but considered a champion of his era. After his education at Brighton Grammar School, he joined the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football Association. He is also a relative to the current Hawthorn player Josh Thurgood. Albert is Josh's Great, Great Uncle.
[edit] Football career
[edit] VFA
Thurgood played for Essendon in the VFA (1892-94) during its run of four successive premierships (1891-94). At six feet tall (182 cm) and twelve stone (76.2 kg), Thurgood possessed qualities that made him a versatile key position player: extraordinarily fast, a superb mark, as nimble and agile as a hare, and his greatest asset a brilliant kick; usually playing at centre half-forward, he could regularly punt-kick over 80 yards (73.1m) and drop-kick over 90 yards (82.3m) while one place-kick at the East Melbourne ground on 22 June 1899 was measured at 107 yards two feet and one inch (98.48m). During an era of low scoring games, he became the first player to kick more than 50 goals in a season (1892) and in one game against the hapless Richmond in 1893 scored twelve of the team’s fourteen goals, a remarkable feat. Although records of the time are somewhat unreliable, it is believed that he played a total of 163 VFA games for Essendon and kicked 625 goals.
[edit] Move to Western Australia
Between 1895 and 1898, he left Essendon to seek work in Western Australia and played for a Fremantle club in the Western Australian Football Association. During his stint there he topped the WAFA goal kicking list on three consecutive occasions between 1895 and 1897, helping the side lift premierships in the first two of those years.
[edit] VFL
He returned to Essendon in 1898 in the newly formed Victorian Football League (VFL later AFL) heading the goalkicking list in 1900 (25) and 1902 (33); while contemporaries noted that Thurgood was slower, heavier and less keen, he produced his finest performance in the 1901 VFL Grand Final against arch-rival Collingwood when he kicked three of the side’s six goals the same year that he was voted Champion of the Colony (1893, 1894 & 1901) for the third time.
In 1902 there were widespread allegations that he had 'laid down' against Collingwood in the challenge final, which Essendon lost by the heavy margin for the time of 33 points. In disgust, Thurgood demanded, and was refused, a clearance to the Magpies, whereupon he decided to retire. He was tempted back to Essendon four years later, but after playing 8 games he was forced to retire permanently when he sustained a serious ankle injury.
