Alan_Stevens_(footballer)
Alan Stevens (footballer)
Australian rules footballer
Alan Keith Stevens (5 August 1923 – 2 November 2010)[2] was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also had a noted career in the Canberra Australian National Football League, with Ainslie, Eastlake-Manuka and Eastlake.
| Alan Stevens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Alan Keith Stevens | ||
| Nickname(s) | Ginty | ||
| Date of birth | (1923-08-05)5 August 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Coogee, New South Wales[1] | ||
| Date of death | 2 November 2010(2010-11-02) (aged 87) | ||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1940–1941 | Ainslie | ||
| 1942–1944 | Eastlake-Manuka | ||
| 1945 | Eastlake | ||
| 1946–1947 | Ainslie | ||
| 1948–1950 | St Kilda | 22 (1) | |
| 1952–1953 | Ainslie | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1953. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early career during the war
Stevens, a defender, spent his first two years of senior football with Canberra club Ainslie.[3][4]
He won Ainslie's best and fairest award and finished third in voting for the Mulrooney Medal in 1941, his second season.[4][5]
From 1942 to 1944, Stevens played for the merged Eastlake-Manuka combination.[6][7]
The merger ended in 1945 and Stevens played for Eastlake that season.[8] He was named amongst Eastlake's best players in their one-point win over Navy in the 1945 grand final.[8]
New captain of Ainslie
Stevens returned to Ainslie in 1946, as club captain.[9] He had a triumphant return, ending the season with a premiership, Mulrooney Medal and another Ainslie best and fairest.[4][10]
The following year he was given the additional responsibility of being playing coach and steered Ainslie to another premiership.[4][11] Stevens, who captained Canberra at the 1947 Hobart Carnival, also won a third club best and fairest award.[3][4]
Three seasons with St Kilda
Stevens played for St Kilda from 1948 to 1950, during which time he amassed 22 league appearances.[12]
While in Victoria he was a state representative, in 1948.[3]
Final years at Ainslie
Stevens finished his career back at Ainslie, where he was playing coach for two more seasons, after moving back to Canberra late in 1951.[4][13]
He led Ainslie to another premiership in 1952, when they were undefeated all year.[14]
- "Alan Stevens - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
- "National Football". The Canberra Times. ACT. 28 August 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "National Football Code. First Defeat For A.G.H. Team". The Canberra Times. ACT. 1 June 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "R.M.C. Defeated". The Canberra Times. ACT. 29 May 1944. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Eastlake Wins 1945 National Premiership By One Point". The Canberra Times. ACT. 10 September 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Poor Kicking In National Rules". The Canberra Times. ACT. 8 July 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Triple Rules Premiership Won By Ainslie". The Canberra Times. ACT. 30 September 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Mr. W. McDonald New President Football League". The Canberra Times. ACT. 21 February 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Alan Stevens". AFL Tables.
- "National Football Melbourne Umpire For Grand Final". The Canberra Times. ACT. 28 August 1951. p. 6. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Left Back Pocket - Alan 'Ginty' Stevens (Ainslie & St Kilda - captain)". Full Points Footy. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011.