William Albert Henry Perkins, or 'Polly' as he was affectionately known, 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 was a member of

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or colloquially the Tiges, is a professional Australian rules football team competing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria, Ric ...

's 1943 premiership side. Born in England, Perkins was recruited from Dandenong District Association club Noble Park and made his senior

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) debut in

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

. Playing as a defender, Perkins also represented Victoria in interstate football and retired after the 1949 VFL season. He later coached Brighton Football Club 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 ...

(VFA). Perkins died on 29 May 2009, aged 89. Prior to his death, his was the last surviving player of the 1943 Premiership side.

References

* Hogan P: ''The Tigers of Old'', Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996 1920 births 2009 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Richmond Football Club players Richmond Football Club premiership players Brighton Football Club players Brighton Football Club coaches VFL/AFL players born in England VFL/AFL premiership players English emigrants to Australia Sportspeople from Leicester {{AFL-bio-1920s-stub