Graham Willey
Essendon
AFL career
17 games35 goals
- Debut
- R6 1955 v COL21 May 1955
- Most recent
- R18 1956 v GEE18 Aug 1956
Stats
Bio
A product of the Western District and former captain of Scotch College, Graham Willey arrived at Essendon via the Ballarat Football League, where he simultaneously starred for Redan. He played his initial VFL games on permit while completing his studies at the Ballarat School of Mines, a period in which he also won the 1955 Henderson Medal as the BFL's best and fairest. A tall, versatile key position player who found his niche at centre half-forward, Willey became a focal point of the Bombers' attack in his only full season, topping the club's goalkicking in 1956. His promising League career was cut short at just 23 years of age when his work as a metallurgist required a move to Broken Hill, where he went on to captain-coach South Broken Hill to a premiership.
Profile
- Born
- 19 July 1933
- Died
- 10 Feb 2021 (aged 87y 206d)
- Deathplace
- Geelong, VIC
- Height
- 188 cm
- Weight
- 89 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionA product of the Western District and former captain of Scotch College, Graham Willey arrived at Essendon via the Ballarat Football League, where he simultaneously starred for Redan. He played his initial VFL games on permit while completing his studies at the Ballarat School of Mines, a period in which he also won the 1955 Henderson Medal as the BFL's best and fairest. A tall, versatile key position player who found his niche at centre half-forward, Willey became a focal point of the Bombers' attack in his only full season, topping the club's goalkicking in 1956. His promising League career was cut short at just 23 years of age when his work as a metallurgist required a move to Broken Hill, where he went on to captain-coach South Broken Hill to a premiership.