Brendan Edwards (18 March 1936 – 10 May 2021) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1956 to 1961 and again in the 1963 season.[1]
| Brendan Edwards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 18 March 1936 | ||
| Date of death | 10 May 2021 (aged 85) | ||
| Original team(s) | Sandhurst | ||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1956–1963 | Hawthorn | 109 (29) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1963. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
VFL career
editEdwards was recruited from the Bendigo team of Sandhurst, like his teammate Graham Arthur. He was a physical education schoolteacher when he was selected to make his debut in 1956. Edwards was a fitness fanatic and believed, like his captain, John Kennedy, that footballers were not fit enough. During the 1959 season, Edwards convinced Hawthorn coach Jack Hale to adopt circuit training for the entire team.[2]
Edwards won the Hawthorn best and fairest award in 1960 and represented Victoria at interstate football in the same season. The following year he was voted best on ground in Hawthorn's first premiership win, against Footscray in the 1961 VFL Grand Final. He then took a year off football to concentrate on his gymnasium business. He returned to play in 1963 but lasted only nine games before rupturing his ACL against Richmond. [3] He retired as a player and put his energies into a chain of health clubs in Melbourne and pioneered the concept of aerobic fitness in Australia.[4]
He was awarded life membership of the Hawthorn Football Club in 1970 and named in their team of the century in 2001. In 2011, he was inducted into the Hawthorn Hall of Fame.[5]
Honours and achievements
editHawthorn
Individual
- Hawthorn best and fairest: 1960
- Hawthorn Hall of Fame
- Hawthorn life member
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Vale Brendan Edwards". hawthornfc.com.au. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ Ashley Browne (August 2011). The Golden Years: Stories from Hawthorn's Greatest Era. Slattery Media Group. p. 30. ISBN 9781921778230.
- ^ Ross, John (8 July 1963). "Centreman's Brilliant Performance Cut Short". The Age. p. 19. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ Drane, Robert (12 August 2015). "Could Brendan Edwards cut it in today's AFL?". Inside Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Hawthorn's Hall of Fame inductees for 2011". afl.com.au. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
External links
edit- Brendan Edwards's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Brendan Edwards at AustralianFootball.com
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