Answer Man

with COL HUTCHINSON

In round 16 at GMHBA Stadium, big Cat Tom Hawkins booted 6.3 to outscore the entire North Melbourne team by seven points. Which player holds the record for outscoring the opposition by the greatest margin? I suspect it may be Melbourne’s Fred Fanning, who kicked a record 18 goals in his last League match in 1947. LIZ STEVENS, TARNEIT, VIC

GOAL GOLIATHS: Tony Lockett outscored the opposition by more than 40 points twice in his career; (inset) South Melbourne’s Harold Robertson.

CH: In round 12, 1919, South Melbourne hosted St Kilda at the Lake Oval. By three-quarter time, the Saints trailed by 65 points and the home team’s Harold Robertson had kicked seven goals. In an amazing final term, Robertson doubled his tally to help his team to a record score for any quarter – 17.4 (106). The star forward was remarkably accurate, finishing the game with 14.1 (85) to St Kilda’s 2.6 (18). There have been just 11 cases of a player exceeding the opposing team’s tally by at least 40 points. Remarkably, the great Tony Lockett featured twice. He dominated for St Kilda against Adelaide at Moorabbin in 1991 and, in his first year as a Swan in 1995, he repeated the feat against Fitzroy at Whitten Oval. In three of the games listed

OFF THEIR OWN BOOT PLAYERS OUTSCORING THE OPPOSITION

PLAYER CLUB GAME INDIV OPP DIFF

below, players’ behinds tallies were not published, meaning the margins may well have been larger. Ironically, Fred Fanning outscored St Kilda by just 31 points when he made his farewell appearance for the Demons.

CAN YOU ASSIST?

Harold Robertson SM R12, 1919, Lake Oval 14.1 (85) StK 2.6 (18) 67 pts Jim McShane Geel R17, 1899, Corio Oval 11 (66)* StK 0.1 (1) 65 pts Vin Gardiner Carl R15, 1911, Princes Park 10.11 (71) StK 2.3 (15) 56 pts Bob Merrick Fitz R16, 1919, Brunswick St Oval 12 (72)* Melb 2.5 (17) 55 pts Doug Strang Rich R2, 1931, Punt Rd Oval 14.2 (86) NM 4.7 (31) 55 pts Tony Lockett Syd R19, 1995, Whitten Oval 16.0 (96) Fitz 6.8 (44) 52 pts Tony Modra Adel R16, 1993, Football Park 13.4 (82) Rich 4.8 (32) 50 pts Tony Lockett StK R7, 1991, Moorabbin 12.6 (78) Adel 4.7 (31) 47 pts Gordon Coventry Coll R13, 1929, Victoria Park 16.5 (101) Haw 7.14 (56)45 pts Dick Lee Coll R14, 1914, MCG 11 (66)* Uni 3.5 (23) 43 pts Peter McKenna Coll R19, 1969, Victoria Park 16.4 (100) SM 6.22 (58) 42 pts u The AFL is keen to know if the following players recruited from regional Victoria and born before 1931 are still alive. Leongatha’s Jim McDonald spent the 1942 season with Melbourne, while Redan’s Jack Atkinson joined Richmond in 1950. Jack Meagher played for South Melbourne in 1953-54 after spending time with East Ballarat. Bendigo League club Sandhurst has provided dozens of players to League clubs over the years. One of them was Noel Evans, who played for Carlton in 1953. If you can assist, contact Col Hutchinson at col.hutchinson@afl.com.au.

ROUND 23, 2021

u A pulsating end to the home and away season saw Melbourne claim top spot for the first time since 1964. After trailing Geelong by 44 points in the third quarter, the Demons piled on eight unanswered goals, including skipper Max Gawn’s match-winning shot after the siren. Port Adelaide guaranteed itself two home finals after coming from 19 points behind to down the Western Bulldogs by two points in a Friday night thriller. With the Brisbane Lions making up the required percentage differential the following night after defeating West Coast by 38 points, the Bulldogs slid out of the top four and finished fifth. Fremantle had the chance to claim eighth spot, but it all went pear-shaped for the Dockers who lost by 58 points to St Kilda, allowing Essendon to grab the last finals place. There was a long list of farewells, including Alastair Clarkson, Shaun Burgoyne, Eddie Betts, Bachar Houli, David Astbury, Jarrod Harbrow and David Mackay. A chaotic draw against Richmond was Clarkson’s final act as Hawthorn coach.