Albert Prior

Recruited from Redan in the Ballarat Football League, Albert Prior established himself as a rare shining light for Hawthorn during the bleak competitive landscape of the 1940s. He made an immediate impression at Glenferrie Oval, topping the club's goalkicking in his debut 1941 season, a feat he would replicate three more times throughout his tenure. As a full-forward, Prior was defined by his strong marking ability and accurate boot, allowing him to maintain a high strike rate despite often playing in a side that struggled to move the ball efficiently inside 50.

Although his career momentum was impacted by the broader disruptions of the World War II era, Prior remained the focal point of the attack for a decade. He finished his VFL career with a respectable tally of 258 goals from just over a century of games, serving as the primary avenue to goal for the Mayblooms during a period of limited on-field success. Following the 1950 season, Prior departed the league to accept a captain-coaching position with Sandhurst in the Bendigo Football League, cementing his status as one of Hawthorn's most reliable servants of the pre-Kennedy era.