Maurie "Mocha" Dunstan (25 March 1929 – 17 May 1991) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played with Collingwood in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL). Dunstan had been on Collingwood's radar since his late teens but was only convinced by the club to join them after spending two seasons with Preston in the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

. During his early career at Collingwood, the young

centre half-forward In Australian rules football, the centre half-forward is a position on the half-forward line of a football field. The directly opposing player is a centre half-back. Royce Hart of the Richmond Football Club and Wayne Carey of the North Melbou ...

was also serving an apprenticeship in an engineering unit of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

. Although he missed the first four rounds of the

1951 VFL season The 1951 VFL season was the 55th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 21 April until 29 September, and comprised an ...

, Dunstan topped Collingwood's goal-kicking with 40 goals, including a bag of eight against Hawthorn at

Glenferrie Oval Glenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, Victoria, Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the historic home of, and is synonymous with, the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from ...

.AFL Tables: Maurie Dunstan
/ref> He was their top goal-kicker again in 1952, when he kicked 43 goals, but was goal-less in the finals series and finished on the losing team in the 1952 VFL Grand Final. He played in 13 of the 18 rounds in the 1953 home and away season but was then struck down with

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...

. As a result of his illness, as well as a leg injury, he missed out on participating in Collingwood's 12th premiership, with Terry Waites replacing him in the team for the finals. His misfortunes in 1953 weren't the only time he had spells on the sidelines, over the course of his short career he suffered breaks on his ankle, hands, toe and ribs. Dunstan later coached Fish Creek in the

Alberton Football League The Alberton Football Netball League was an Australian rules football league covering the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. History 1946: Reformation of Alberton Football Association (League) The Alberton Football Association wa ...

. Two sons, Graeme Dunstan and Ian Dunstan, would both be recruited to the VFL from Fish Creek.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunstan, Maurie 1929 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Collingwood Football Club players Northern Bullants players 1991 deaths Australian Army personnel 20th-century Australian military personnel 20th-century Australian sportsmen