Alf Goonan

A local product who graduated from the North Melbourne Juniors, Alf Goonan holds a permanent place in Kangaroos history as one of the "Original Shinboners" who transitioned with the club from the VFA to the VFL in 1925. He was a sharp-shooting forward pocket who etched his name into the record books by kicking the club's first-ever goal in League football during their inaugural match against Geelong. Goonan displayed significant potential early on, most notably booting four goals against Fitzroy in just his second VFL appearance to finish with an impressive career strike rate of nearly two goals per game. Although his tenure at the top level was brief, his status at Arden Street is defined by tragedy and sacrifice; serving in the 2/29th Battalion during World War II, Goonan was wounded in Malaya and subsequently executed in the Parit Sulong Massacre.