Bernie Neenan
Melbourne and South Melbourne
AFL career
11 games13 goals
- Debut
- R14 1940 v FSC27 July 1940
- Most recent
- SF 1942 v FSC29 Aug 1942
Stats
Bio
Recruited from North Brunswick CYMS where he was a standout ruckman and league Best and Fairest, Bernie Neenan faced a difficult initiation at the Melbourne Football Club, forced to fight for a spot in a powerful lineup during the Demons' golden era. A fringe player capable of holding down key forward posts or pinching in the ruck, he tasted reserves premiership success in 1939 but found senior opportunities limited by both the club's incredible depth and his own military service during World War II. Neenan transferred to South Melbourne midway through the 1942 season to address their shortage of tall timber, making an immediate impact as a lively centre half-forward who could clunk a contested mark. He featured in the Swans' semi-final victory over Footscray that year but was heartbreakingly omitted for the Preliminary Final, effectively ending a brief VFL career that was defined by wartime disruption and near-misses before he eventually moved on to Williamstown.
Profile
- Born
- 25 Sept 1917
- Died
- 16 July 1970 (aged 52y 294d)
- Birthplace
- Prahran, VIC
- Deathplace
- Richmond, VIC
- Height
- 188 cm
- Weight
- 83 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from North Brunswick CYMS where he was a standout ruckman and league Best and Fairest, Bernie Neenan faced a difficult initiation at the Melbourne Football Club, forced to fight for a spot in a powerful lineup during the Demons' golden era. A fringe player capable of holding down key forward posts or pinching in the ruck, he tasted reserves premiership success in 1939 but found senior opportunities limited by both the club's incredible depth and his own military service during World War II. Neenan transferred to South Melbourne midway through the 1942 season to address their shortage of tall timber, making an immediate impact as a lively centre half-forward who could clunk a contested mark. He featured in the Swans' semi-final victory over Footscray that year but was heartbreakingly omitted for the Preliminary Final, effectively ending a brief VFL career that was defined by wartime disruption and near-misses before he eventually moved on to Williamstown.