Frank Maher (footballer)

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Frank Maher
Personal information
Birth 22 September 1895, Ballarat
Recruited from Lilydale
Height and weight 167.5cm (5'6") 70 kg
Playing career¹
Debut 11 June 1921, Essendon vs. Carlton, at East Melbourne Cricket Ground
Team(s) Essendon (1921-1928)
  • 137 games, 124 goals
Coaching career¹
Team(s) Essendon (1927)
¹ Statistics to end of 1936 season
Career highlights
* Essendon Premiership: 1923, 1924
  • Essendon Captain-Coach: 1927 (18 games)
  • Essendon Captain: 1925-1928 (77 games)
  • Essendon Vice-Captain: 1924
  • Essendon Best and Fairest: 1927
  • Victorian Representative: 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928.
  • Captain of Victorian Representative Team: 1927, 1928.

Frank H. Maher (22 September 1895 — 1976), is a formerAustralian footballer, and coach in the Victorian Football League.

He served in the army in World War I from 1916 to 1919, and was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry for his actions in France on 19 May 1918.[1]

He only began playing football when serving overseas with the AIF. On his return to Australia, he started playing football with two clubs, Shepparton and Lilydale.

Recruited from Lilydale Football Club, he played his first game for Essendon in 1921 at the advanced age of 25, playing against Carlton at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground on 11 June 1921 (the Carlton team is at [2]).

He went on to play 137 games with Essendon Football Club from 1921 to 1928; and 118 of those games were played consecutively.

Only 5'6" (167.5cm) tall, he was part of Essendon's famous "Mosquito Fleet"; he had superb reflexes, perfect timing, and wonderful ball skills.

He represented Victoria on nine occasions in 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927 (captain), and 1928 (captain).

He was captain-coach of Essendon in 1927; whilst his application to coach Essendon in 1928 was rejected, he captained Essendon in that year.

After leaving Essendon, he went on to coach at Oakleigh on two occasions, at Fitzroy, and at Carlton; and from 1958 and 1968 he was president of Essendon's past players and officials association.

[edit] Career

  • Lilydale Football Club and Shepparton Football Club: 1920
  • Essendon Football Club: player, 1921-1928
  • Essendon Football Club: Premiership Team, 1923 (first rover, kicking 2 goals), 1924 (forward flank, kicking four goals in the three matches)
  • Brownlow Medal: third place 1925 — 4 votes.[1]
  • Essendon Football Club: captain-coach 1927 (18 games, 6 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw)
  • Oakleigh Football Club: captain-coach 1929-1931 (premierships 1930-1931)
  • Fitzroy Football Club: coach 1932-1933
  • Oakleigh Football Club: coach 1934
  • Carlton Football Club: coach 1935-1936 (38 games, 26 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw).

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ In those days, there was only a single vote available in any one game. The 1925 winner, St Kilda's Colin Watson won the medal with 9 votes (i.e., best on the ground on nine occasions) having played in only 15 matches.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
1923/24 Essendon Bombers Dual Premiership Players
Baring | Beckton | Donaldson | Fitzmaurice | Garden | Hardy | Jenkins | Laing | Maher | May | McCarthy | Rawle | Shorten | Stockdale | Watt
Captain/Coach: Barker