Don Gross
Essendon
AFL career
121 games105 goals
- Debut
- R1 1965 v FIT17 Apr 1965
- Most recent
- R7 1974 v RCH18 May 1974
Stats
1974 | ESS | 1 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
1973 | ESS | 11 | 6.5 | 1.8 | 8.4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
1972 | ESS | 9 | 10.7 | 3.9 | 14.6 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
1971 | ESS | 19 | 17.1 | 4.1 | 21.2 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 |
1970 | ESS | 18 | 13.2 | 3.6 | 16.8 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
1969 | ESS | 13 | 11.9 | 3.7 | 15.6 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
1968 | ESS | 14 | 11.2 | 2.7 | 13.9 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
1967 | ESS | 15 | 12.9 | 2.9 | 15.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
1966 | ESS | 5 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
1965 | ESS | 16 | 7.7 | 1.3 | 9.0 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Bio
Recruited from Euroa in north-east Victoria, Don Gross was a skilled left-footed rover and wingman who established himself as a reliable servant for Essendon over a decade. He burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old in 1965, playing 16 games in his debut season and helping the Bombers reach the Grand Final. However, his year ended in heartbreak when a broken collarbone sustained in the Preliminary Final victory over Collingwood ruled him out of the premiership decider the following week. While he lacked the blistering pace of some elite midfielders, Gross compensated with strength over the ball and a damaging left boot.
Gross eventually got his opportunity on the big stage three years later, starting on the bench in the 1968 Grand Final loss to Carlton. He played his best football in the early 1970s, particularly in 1971, when he finished third in the club's Best and Fairest count and third on the goalkicking list with 22 majors. A dedicated clubman, he spent his final season in 1974 as the captain-coach of the reserves while adding one last senior appearance to his tally. After hanging up the boots with 121 games, he continued to serve the club as coach of the under-19s squad in the late 1970s.
Profile
- Born
- 01 Apr 1947 (age 79y 203d)
- Height
- 173 cm
- Weight
- 75 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Euroa in north-east Victoria, Don Gross was a skilled left-footed rover and wingman who established himself as a reliable servant for Essendon over a decade. He burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old in 1965, playing 16 games in his debut season and helping the Bombers reach the Grand Final. However, his year ended in heartbreak when a broken collarbone sustained in the Preliminary Final victory over Collingwood ruled him out of the premiership decider the following week. While he lacked the blistering pace of some elite midfielders, Gross compensated with strength over the ball and a damaging left boot.
Gross eventually got his opportunity on the big stage three years later, starting on the bench in the 1968 Grand Final loss to Carlton. He played his best football in the early 1970s, particularly in 1971, when he finished third in the club's Best and Fairest count and third on the goalkicking list with 22 majors. A dedicated clubman, he spent his final season in 1974 as the captain-coach of the reserves while adding one last senior appearance to his tally. After hanging up the boots with 121 games, he continued to serve the club as coach of the under-19s squad in the late 1970s.