Jack Kirby
Essendon
AFL career
77 games113 goals
- Debut
- R11 1911 v RCH1 July 1911
- Most recent
- R4 1918 v CAR1 June 1918
Stats
Bio
Recruited from the Prahran Juniors, Jack Kirby wasted no time making an impression at Essendon, entering the record books as the first known VFL player to kick a goal with his very first kick in league football. A dangerous small forward with a sharp eye for the goals, he enjoyed a dream start to his career, playing in 14 consecutive wins before experiencing his first loss. Kirby became a pivotal figure in Essendon's back-to-back premiership triumphs of 1911 and 1912, topping the club's goalkicking table in the latter year as well as in 1913. His momentum was eventually halted not by form, but by the Great War, which saw Essendon voluntarily go into recess for the 1916 and 1917 seasons on patriotic grounds. Kirby returned when the club resumed operations in 1918 for a final season, retiring as a dual premiership player and one of the most productive forwards of the pre-war era.
Profile
- Born
- 01 July 1889
- Died
- 11 Mar 1939 (aged 49y 253d)
- Birthplace
- South Melbourne, VIC
- Deathplace
- Carlton, VIC
- Height
- 170 cm
- Weight
- 70 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership(2×) 1911, 1912
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from the Prahran Juniors, Jack Kirby wasted no time making an impression at Essendon, entering the record books as the first known VFL player to kick a goal with his very first kick in league football. A dangerous small forward with a sharp eye for the goals, he enjoyed a dream start to his career, playing in 14 consecutive wins before experiencing his first loss. Kirby became a pivotal figure in Essendon's back-to-back premiership triumphs of 1911 and 1912, topping the club's goalkicking table in the latter year as well as in 1913. His momentum was eventually halted not by form, but by the Great War, which saw Essendon voluntarily go into recess for the 1916 and 1917 seasons on patriotic grounds. Kirby returned when the club resumed operations in 1918 for a final season, retiring as a dual premiership player and one of the most productive forwards of the pre-war era.