Bill Hudd

Hailing from Queenscliff and carrying the family nickname 'Chunga', Bill Hudd was a rugged utility who found his best football as a dashing half-back flanker. While he began his tenure at Corio Oval as a follower, he etched his name into Geelong folklore as a defender, famously gaining a late reprieve to play in the club's maiden VFL premiership in 1925 after teammate Nick Brushfield succumbed to injury on the eve of the match. He crossed to Essendon the following season where his reputation as a vigorous, physical protector of his teammates grew, though knee troubles eventually forced him out of the line-up for the entire 1928 campaign. After a brief stint in the VFA with Yarraville, he returned to the League for a two-year swansong with Hawthorn, concluding a journeyman career defined by that serendipitous premiership medallion.