George Bruce (footballer)

George Bruce
George Bruce
	Bruce during his Carlton career
Personal information
Date of birth	5 August 1879
Place of birth	Adelaide, South Australia
Date of death	5 June 1928 (aged 48)
Place of death	Carlton, Victoria
Original team(s)	West Adelaide (SAFL)
Debut	Round 5, 1903, Carlton vs. South Melbourne, at Lake Oval
Height	174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	74 kg (163 lb)
Playing career1
Years	Club
1898–1902	West Adelaide (SAFL)
1903–1913	Carlton (VFL)
Representative team honours
Years	Team
1900-1902	South Australia
1905, 1908	Victoria
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1913.
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

George Bruce (5 August 1879 – 5 June 1928) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1900s.

Family

The son of George Bruce (1843-1922),^[1] and Annie Bruce (1846-1929), née Gaston,^[2] George Bruce was born in Adelaide, South Australia on 5 August 1879. Bruce's older brothers, Jim and Percy, also played for West Adelaide.^[3]

He married Grace Bennett Murie (1881-1945) on 4 August 1908.^[4] They had three children: Grace, George, and Donald.

Football

George Bruce, of Carlton, was the first player to introduce the tricky dodge of bending down, touching the ball on the ground, and then shooting past the man playing against him. Many have imitated him, but none has equalled him in this move. — The Herald, 1 August 1913.^[5]

West Adelaide (SAFL)

A wingman, he played in 43 matches for the South Australian Football League club West Adelaide over five seasons.

He represented South Australia in 1900, 1901, and 1902.^[6]

Carlton (VFL)

Bruce was cleared to Carlton from West Adelaide in 1903.^[7]

He was a member of three successive premiership sides: 1906, 1907, and 1908.^[8]

He represented Victoria in 1905,^[9] and at the 1908 Jubilee Carnival.^[10]

Hall of Fame

In 2006 he was inducted into the Carlton Football Club's Hall of Fame.^[11]

Death

He died at Carlton, Victoria on 5 June 1928.^[12]

Notes

References

Atkinson, G. (1982) Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking, The Five Mile Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0 86788 009 0.

External links

George Bruce's playing statistics from AFL Tables
Boyles Football Photos: George Bruce.
George Bruce, at Blueseum.

[1] Death: Bruce, The (Adelaide) Express and Telegraph, (Wednesday, 5 April 1922), p.4.

[2] Deaths: Bruce, The (Adelaide) Register News-Pictorial, (Saturday, 16 March 1929, p. 8.

[3] Atkinson, p. 138.

[4] Bruce—Murie, The Argus. (Saturday, 5 September 1908), p. 11.

[5] Play and Players, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Friday, 1 August 1913), p.3.

[6] Interstate Football Match: Victoria v. South Australia: Melbourne Cricket Ground 15th. June 1901 (Photograph) George Bruce is far left, front row.

[7] Football: Victorian Football League, The Argus, (Saturday, 30 May 1903), p.15.

[8] Tapner, Warren, "Carlton's Hat Trick Heroes", Blueseum, 18 June 2008.

[9] Football, The Age, (Saturday, 5 August 1905), p.14.

[10] Rohan, J.M., "Was First Carnival Side The Best Ever?: Herculean Team of Capable Men: Picked Irrespective of Clubs", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 12 May 1934), p.7.

[11] Carlton Hall of Fame, at Blueseum.

[12] Deaths: Bruce, The Argus, (Thursday, 7 June 1928), p.1; Deaths: Bruce, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Saturday, 9 June 1928), p.12.

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