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Alan Stevens (footballer)

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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
  • Ainslie best and fairest – 1941, 1946 & 1947
  • Ainslie premiership player – 1946, 1947 & 1952
  • Ainslie premiership coach – 1947 & 1952
  • Eastlake premiership player – 1945
  • Mulrooney Medal – 1946
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

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.

Career

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Early career during the war

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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

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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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ "WW2 Nominal Roll". Government of Australia.
  2. ^ "Alan Stevens - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Hall of Fame Inductees 2008". AFL Canberra.
  5. ^ "National Football". The Canberra Times. ACT. 28 August 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  6. ^ "National Football Code. First Defeat For A.G.H. Team". The Canberra Times. ACT. 1 June 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  7. ^ "R.M.C. Defeated". The Canberra Times. ACT. 29 May 1944. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Eastlake Wins 1945 National Premiership By One Point". The Canberra Times. ACT. 10 September 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Poor Kicking In National Rules". The Canberra Times. ACT. 8 July 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Triple Rules Premiership Won By Ainslie". The Canberra Times. ACT. 30 September 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Mr. W. McDonald New President Football League". The Canberra Times. ACT. 21 February 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Alan Stevens". AFL Tables.
  13. ^ "National Football Melbourne Umpire For Grand Final". The Canberra Times. ACT. 28 August 1951. p. 6. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Left Back Pocket - Alan 'Ginty' Stevens (Ainslie & St Kilda - captain)". Full Points Footy. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011.