Col Spratling
North Melbourne
AFL career
18 games7 goals
- Debut
- R11 1940 v ESS6 July 1940
- Most recent
- R11 1943 v CAR17 July 1943
Stats
Bio
A Preston native, Col Spratling was a diminutive rover whose VFL career was defined and ultimately curtailed by the Second World War. Standing just 174cm and weighing 67kg, he was a light-framed utility who relied on pace and opportunism to impact the contest, kicking seven goals in his 18 games for North Melbourne. After breaking into the side in 1940, his momentum was stalled by military duties; he enlisted in the AIF in late 1941 and served with the 2nd Survey Regiment, causing him to miss the entire 1942 season. Spratling returned to Arden Street for a final stint of games in 1943, likely playing while stationed locally, but the demands of service prevented him from establishing a long-term place in the side, marking him as one of many "what ifs" of the wartime era.
Profile
- Born
- 23 Apr 1918
- Died
- 09 May 2006 (aged 88y 16d)
- Birthplace
- Preston, VIC
- Height
- 174 cm
- Weight
- 67 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionA Preston native, Col Spratling was a diminutive rover whose VFL career was defined and ultimately curtailed by the Second World War. Standing just 174cm and weighing 67kg, he was a light-framed utility who relied on pace and opportunism to impact the contest, kicking seven goals in his 18 games for North Melbourne. After breaking into the side in 1940, his momentum was stalled by military duties; he enlisted in the AIF in late 1941 and served with the 2nd Survey Regiment, causing him to miss the entire 1942 season. Spratling returned to Arden Street for a final stint of games in 1943, likely playing while stationed locally, but the demands of service prevented him from establishing a long-term place in the side, marking him as one of many "what ifs" of the wartime era.