Bert Harper
Essendon
AFL career
76 games32 goals
- Debut
- R1 1943 v SME8 May 1943
- Most recent
- R8 1952 v GEE16 June 1952
Stats
Bio
Recruited from Castlemaine where he dominated the local league with three consecutive best and fairest awards, Bert Harper was a hard-at-it utility whose VFL career was heavily curtailed by World War II service with the Army and RAAF. After missing several seasons due to the conflict, he returned to Windy Hill to become a vital cog in Dick Reynolds' formidable post-war lineup. Harper was a versatile operator capable of playing as a rover, wingman, or half-forward, renowned for his aggressive bumping and strong overhead marking for his size. A dual premiership player in the 1946 and 1950 triumphs, his tally could well have been higher if not for rotten injury luck; he missed the 1949 flag with a knee issue and was ruled out of the 1951 Grand Final after fracturing ribs in the Preliminary Final. He retired in 1952, remembered as a courageous contributor to one of the Bombers' most successful eras.
Profile
- Born
- 26 Jan 1923
- Died
- 29 Dec 1992 (aged 69y 338d)
- Birthplace
- Coburg, VIC
- Deathplace
- Mornington, VIC
- Height
- 179 cm
- Weight
- 79 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership(2×) 1946, 1950
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Castlemaine where he dominated the local league with three consecutive best and fairest awards, Bert Harper was a hard-at-it utility whose VFL career was heavily curtailed by World War II service with the Army and RAAF. After missing several seasons due to the conflict, he returned to Windy Hill to become a vital cog in Dick Reynolds' formidable post-war lineup. Harper was a versatile operator capable of playing as a rover, wingman, or half-forward, renowned for his aggressive bumping and strong overhead marking for his size. A dual premiership player in the 1946 and 1950 triumphs, his tally could well have been higher if not for rotten injury luck; he missed the 1949 flag with a knee issue and was ruled out of the 1951 Grand Final after fracturing ribs in the Preliminary Final. He retired in 1952, remembered as a courageous contributor to one of the Bombers' most successful eras.