Fred Finch (footballer)

Frederick John Finch (6 October 1895 – 18 April 1952) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2]

Fred Finch
Finch in May 1925
Personal information
Full name Frederick John Finch
Nickname(s) Snowy
Date of birth (1895-10-06)6 October 1895
Place of birth Brunswick, Victoria
Date of death 18 April 1952(1952-04-18) (aged 56)
Place of death Prahran, Victoria
Original team(s) Burwood Football Club
Debut Round 1, 1925, Hawthorn
vs. Richmond, at Glenferrie Oval
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 84 kg (185 lb)
Position(s) centre
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1922–24 Hawthorn (VFA) 49 0(5)[1]
1925–27 Hawthorn 37 (10)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1927.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

The son of George Fagan and Ellen Berry, Finch enlisted to serve in World War I in late 1914 and served until the end of the war.[3]

After a stint with Burwood Football Club, Finch joined Hawthorn at the start of the 1922 season when Hawthorn was in the Victorian Football Association.[4] He earned the nickname "Snowy" from his very fair hair and had a reputation for never missing a night's training. He played mostly in the centre, and won Hawthorn Football Club's best all-round player in their first season of VFL football.[5][6] From 1927–29 he played predominantly in the Hawthorn reserves team before retiring to football administration roles within the club.

Finch was also an accomplished cricketer and played for Northcote Cricket Club in the Victorian District cricket competition from 1920–1922. He was a fast bowler and took a hat-trick against Fitzroy in the 1920-21 season.[7]

In 1924 Finch married Dulcie May Jones (née Stokes) and they lived in Glen Iris, Victoria with her two children from her first marriage. Fred Finch died in 1952 at the age of 56.[8]

References
  1. Gordon, Harry & Michael. One For All: the story of the Hawthorn Football Club. p. 377. ISBN 978-1-921332-83-8.
  2. Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  3. "Frederick Finch – Discovering Anzacs". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. "GEELONG'S FIRST GAME". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 8 May 1922. p. 7.
  5. "Peter Crimmins Medal Winners". Hawthorn Football Club.
  6. "HAWTHORN". The Age. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 16 February 1926. p. 7.
  7. "HAT-TRICKS IN DISTRICT CRICKET" (PDF). Cricket Victoria.
  8. "Family Notices". The Argus. 19 April 1952. p. 16.
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