Frank Crapper
Personal information
Full name Francis Gerald Crapper
Date of birth 22 May 1911
Place of birth Raywood, Victoria
Date of death 8 February 1991(1991-02-08) (aged 79)
Original team(s) Eaglehawk
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 80 kg (176 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1931, 1935–1939 North Melbourne 27 (56)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1939.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Francis Gerald Crapper (22 May 1911 – 8 February 1991)[1] was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Crapper was a prolific full-forward for Eaglehawk in the Bendigo Football League (BFL), who had two stints at North Melbourne. Two brothers, Fred and Harry, played briefly at Richmond and Melbourne respectively.[2]

He had come to the attention of North Melbourne scouts in 1930 when he became the first player in history to kick over 100 goals in a BFL season. Crapper was then signed by North Melbourne but would only play three games for them in 1931 before returning to Eaglehawk.[3]

Crapper beat his own BFL record in 1932 when he kicked 129 goals.[4] He bettered that effort in 1933 with 154 goals in the home and away season and 165 after finals.[5] Both those tallies remain a league record.

The forward made a return to North Melbourne in 1935 and kicked 10 goals from his six appearances.[3] He finally kicked a big haul for his VFL club in the sixth round of the 1936 season, with nine goals against St Kilda.[3] His eventual season tall of 29 goals was second only to Dudley Cassidy at North Melbourne.[3] Over the next three years he managed only five more games but did put in another memorable performance, kicking eight goals against Footscray on his 26th birthday.[3] Despite his efforts he still finished on the losing team, as he had after his nine-goal haul from the previous season.[3]

Crapper served in the second World War.[6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Crapper.
  1. ^ "Frank Crapper - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  2. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5.
  3. ^ a b c d e f AFL Tables: Frank Crapper
  4. ^ The Advertiser, "129 Goals In A Season", 30 September 1932, p. 8
  5. ^ The Argus, "Bendigo Goal-kicker", 5 January 1934, p. 13
  6. ^ "WW2 Nominal Roll". Government of Australia.
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