George Allen (Australian footballer)

For the South Melbourne player, see George Allen (footballer, born 1928).
George Allen
Personal information
Full name George Leslie Allen
Date of death 21 March 1971
Place of death Benalla, Victoria
Original team(s) Sunshine YCW
Position(s) Full forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1967-1970 Sunshine 49 (214)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1970 season.

George Leslie Allen[1] (born 1948-49, died 21 March 1971) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Sunshine in the Victorian Football Association. He was a prolific goalkicker during his brief career, but he died suddenly during a preseason game at the age of 22.

Allen played his entire career with the Sunshine Football Club in the VFA. After playing some Under-16s football with the club from as early as 1961, he became a permanent member of the club's Thirds (Under-19s) team in 1966, where he kicked 98 goals to be the VFA Thirds Division 2 leading goalkicker. The following year, aged 18, he played for the Seconds, and was again the VFA's Division 2 leading goalkicker.[2]

He played his first two senior games for Sunshine in 1967, and another eight games in 1968, before becoming a permanent member of the senior team in 1969. He immediately established himself as one of the Association's best full forwards, and he was the VFA's Division 2 leading goalkicker in each of 1969 and 1970, kicking 99 and 80 goals respectively – to give him a total of four leading goalkicker awards, across different grades, in just five seasons. In his senior career, he played 49 games and kicked 214 goals.[2]

On Sunday 21 March, late in the first quarter of a pre-season practice match between Sunshine and Benalla in Benalla, Allen suddenly collapsed and died on the field. He had crashed heavily to the ground on his side in a marking contest a few minutes earlier, but had returned to full forward and shown no ill-effects from the contest until his collapse. He was 22 years old.[3]

Outside football, Allen worked in the Newport Railway Workshops.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Classified advertisements". The Sun News-Pictorial. 23 March 1971. p. 43.
  2. 1 2 "Vale George Allen". The Sunshine–St. Albans Advocate. 24 March 1971. p. 38.
  3. ↑ Jack Chigwidden (24 March 1971). "Trip ended in tragedy". The Sunshine–St. Albans Advocate. p. 38.
  4. ↑ Scot Palmer (22 March 1971). "Full forward dies on field". The Sun News-Pictorial. p. 3.
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