Edgar Croft

A fearless forward whose career was unfortunately curtailed by injury, Edgar Croft holds a unique place in history as the scorer of both Essendon's first VFL goal and the goal that secured the club's inaugural premiership. Recruited from Richmond City following a stint at Scotch College, Croft played six VFA games before joining the Same Olds for the breakaway League season in 1897. While fractures and dislocations limited him to just 15 games over three seasons, his impact was profound. In the decisive round-robin match of 1897 against Melbourne—effectively the Grand Final—Croft capitalised on a wayward shank from teammate Charlie "Tracker" Forbes to mark in the pocket and boot the only goal of the game. That major sealed a 1.8 (14) to 0.8 (8) victory and the pennant for Essendon. He retired in 1899 but maintained a connection to the club as a patron until 1918.