Harold Ball
Melbourne
AFL career
33 games33 goals
- Debut
- R1 1939 v RCH22 Apr 1939
- Most recent
- GF 1940 v RCH28 Sept 1940
Stats
Bio
Recruited from Merbein in the Sunraysia district—where scouts had initially travelled to watch a teammate—Harold Ball was a versatile tall who played a pivotal role in Melbourne’s golden era. Standing 188cm, he settled quickly into the lineup as a ruckman who could rest forward, booting 30 goals in his debut season to help the Demons secure the 1939 premiership. His footballing reputation was sealed during the 1940 Preliminary Final against Essendon; playing in torrential rain, he was switched to full-back and played a match-saving role, dominating the airways with a reported 15 marks before featuring in his second consecutive flag a week later. Ball’s career was tragically cut short by World War II, where he served in the 2/9 Field Ambulance before being captured and killed in action during the fall of Singapore in 1942. He remains a central figure in club history, with the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy presented annually to Melbourne's best young player.
Profile
- Born
- 29 May 1920
- Died
- 09 Feb 1942 (aged 21y 256d)
- Birthplace
- Mildura, VIC
- Deathplace
- Singapore
- Height
- 188 cm
- Weight
- 87 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership(2×) 1939, 1940
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Merbein in the Sunraysia district—where scouts had initially travelled to watch a teammate—Harold Ball was a versatile tall who played a pivotal role in Melbourne’s golden era. Standing 188cm, he settled quickly into the lineup as a ruckman who could rest forward, booting 30 goals in his debut season to help the Demons secure the 1939 premiership. His footballing reputation was sealed during the 1940 Preliminary Final against Essendon; playing in torrential rain, he was switched to full-back and played a match-saving role, dominating the airways with a reported 15 marks before featuring in his second consecutive flag a week later. Ball’s career was tragically cut short by World War II, where he served in the 2/9 Field Ambulance before being captured and killed in action during the fall of Singapore in 1942. He remains a central figure in club history, with the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy presented annually to Melbourne's best young player.