Ross Abbey (born 21 January 1953) is a former

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 Footscray, now known as the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

, 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). The son of

Angus Abbey Angus Maxwell Abbey (born 15 November 1925) is a former Australian rules football player who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Austra ...

, a member of Footscray's 1954 premiership team, Abbey initially played for

Wesley College, Melbourne Wesley College is a co-educational, open-entry private school in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is the only school in Victoria to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) from early childhood to Year 12. The college ...

and Strathmore, an area traditionally zoned to

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington United Kin ...

, but was recruited to Footscray under the father/son rule. Abbey played in a variety of positions, but mostly on the half back flank and as a ruck rover. His playing measurements were 180 cm and 82.5 kg, which coincidentally were the precise measurements of his father. Abbey's playing highlight was being part of the Footscray finals team of

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

and

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

(although Footscray lost the elimination final on both occasions after having finished 5th in each of those seasons). He retired from VFL football in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, having played 123 games and represented

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

at interstate level.

References

* Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2002) ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers'', Crown Content, Melbourne. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbey, Ross 1953 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Western Bulldogs players People educated at Wesley College (Victoria) Strathmore Football Club players 20th-century Australian sportsmen