Frank Hanna
Melbourne
AFL career
30 games3 goals
- Debut
- R2 1947 v GEE26 Apr 1947
- Most recent
- R8 1949 v HAW4 June 1949
Stats
Bio
Recruited from Walwa in north-east Victoria after serving in the RAAF during World War II, Frank Hanna was a versatile ruckman and back pocket whose VFL career is defined by one of the era's most infamous physical clashes. While he established himself as a regular in Melbourne's strong 1948 lineup, his season ended abruptly in Round 15 when he was flattened by Richmond legend Jack Dyer; the shirt-front was so severe that "Captain Blood" famously spent the rest of the match fearing he had killed his opponent. The resulting broken collarbone and concussion robbed Hanna of a place in that year's premiership side, leaving him as the primary hard-luck story of the club's triumph over Essendon. After recovering to play seven games in 1949, he left the league to pursue captain-coaching opportunities in country Victoria with Horsham and later enjoyed a successful tenure in Tasmania.
Profile
- Born
- 05 Apr 1924
- Died
- 28 Nov 2010 (aged 86y 237d)
- Birthplace
- Walwa, VIC
- Height
- 189 cm
- Weight
- 85 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Walwa in north-east Victoria after serving in the RAAF during World War II, Frank Hanna was a versatile ruckman and back pocket whose VFL career is defined by one of the era's most infamous physical clashes. While he established himself as a regular in Melbourne's strong 1948 lineup, his season ended abruptly in Round 15 when he was flattened by Richmond legend Jack Dyer; the shirt-front was so severe that "Captain Blood" famously spent the rest of the match fearing he had killed his opponent. The resulting broken collarbone and concussion robbed Hanna of a place in that year's premiership side, leaving him as the primary hard-luck story of the club's triumph over Essendon. After recovering to play seven games in 1949, he left the league to pursue captain-coaching opportunities in country Victoria with Horsham and later enjoyed a successful tenure in Tasmania.