Craig Davis
Collingwood, Carlton, North Melbourne and Sydney
AFL career
163 games360 goals
- Debut
- R14 1973 v HAW7 July 1973
- Most recent
- R14 1988 v RCH1 July 1988
Stats
Bio
Recruited from Rossarden in Tasmania, Craig Davis was a sharp-leading forward whose VFL journey began at Carlton, where he featured in the 1973 Grand Final as a teenager. Despite this early exposure to the big stage, he struggled to cement a permanent spot at Princes Park and later found opportunities similarly restricted during a two-year stint at North Melbourne. It was his transfer to Collingwood in 1979 that defined his career; under the tutelage of Tom Hafey, Davis became the Magpies' primary avenue to goal, utilising his quick burst on the lead and clinical finishing to top the club's goalkicking four times.
He was a central figure in Collingwood's heartbreaking run of Grand Final losses in 1979, 1980, and 1981, offering a reliable target while the team ultimately fell short. After leaving the Pies in 1983, Davis spent four years out of the VFL before Hafey lured him to the Sydney Swans for a surprise comeback season in 1988. Although he finished his career without a premiership medallion across four attempts, his contribution to the game extended to the next generation, with his son Nick Davis eventually capturing a flag with the Swans in 2005.
Profile
- Born
- 02 Oct 1954 (age 72y 15d)
- Height
- 183 cm
- Weight
- 81 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Rossarden in Tasmania, Craig Davis was a sharp-leading forward whose VFL journey began at Carlton, where he featured in the 1973 Grand Final as a teenager. Despite this early exposure to the big stage, he struggled to cement a permanent spot at Princes Park and later found opportunities similarly restricted during a two-year stint at North Melbourne. It was his transfer to Collingwood in 1979 that defined his career; under the tutelage of Tom Hafey, Davis became the Magpies' primary avenue to goal, utilising his quick burst on the lead and clinical finishing to top the club's goalkicking four times.
He was a central figure in Collingwood's heartbreaking run of Grand Final losses in 1979, 1980, and 1981, offering a reliable target while the team ultimately fell short. After leaving the Pies in 1983, Davis spent four years out of the VFL before Hafey lured him to the Sydney Swans for a surprise comeback season in 1988. Although he finished his career without a premiership medallion across four attempts, his contribution to the game extended to the next generation, with his son Nick Davis eventually capturing a flag with the Swans in 2005.