Harold Craven
Geelong
AFL career
88 games17 goals
- Debut
- R14 1915 v COL24 July 1915
- Most recent
- R18 1924 v SME6 Sept 1924
Stats
Bio
Recruited from local side Newtown, Harold Craven was a tenacious defender who defied his physical stature to become a key pillar of the Geelong backline. Despite standing only 174cm—small even for a rover in later eras—Craven played the bulk of his career at full-back, where he relied on superior anticipation and spoiling ability to combat much larger opponents. His early development was interrupted when the club went into recess during the 1916 season due to the Great War, but he returned to establish himself as a leader, captaining the side in 1921 and 1922. A loyal one-club player who helped steer the team through a lean developmental period, Craven retired at the end of the 1924 season, agonisingly missing Geelong's maiden VFL premiership by a single year.
Profile
- Born
- 26 Apr 1895
- Died
- 26 Nov 1970 (aged 75y 214d)
- Birthplace
- Geelong, VIC
- Deathplace
- Prahran, VIC
- Height
- 174 cm
- Weight
- 76 kg
Teams
Honours
- Geelong captain(2×) 1921, 1922
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from local side Newtown, Harold Craven was a tenacious defender who defied his physical stature to become a key pillar of the Geelong backline. Despite standing only 174cm—small even for a rover in later eras—Craven played the bulk of his career at full-back, where he relied on superior anticipation and spoiling ability to combat much larger opponents. His early development was interrupted when the club went into recess during the 1916 season due to the Great War, but he returned to establish himself as a leader, captaining the side in 1921 and 1922. A loyal one-club player who helped steer the team through a lean developmental period, Craven retired at the end of the 1924 season, agonisingly missing Geelong's maiden VFL premiership by a single year.