John Elward
Hawthorn
AFL career
16 games7 goals
- Debut
- R6 1958 v SME17 May 1958
- Most recent
- R15 1960 v CAR6 Aug 1960
Stats
Bio
Recruited from Alexandra in the Waranga North East Football League, John Elward was a tall ruckman whose time at senior level was heavily restricted by injury. While he managed only 16 senior games, he proved to be a vital component of Hawthorn's developing depth, anchoring the ruck in the club's back-to-back Reserves premierships in 1958 and 1959. His dominance at the lower level was recognised with the 1958 Reserves Best and Fairest, but his body ultimately failed him before he could establish himself in the seniors. Elward suffered a broken leg at the end of the 1960 season and, tragically, re-broke the same leg just ten minutes into his comeback game in the seconds the following year, forcing a premature retirement right as the Hawks surged toward their maiden VFL flag.
Profile
- Born
- 06 Apr 1935
- Died
- 07 Oct 2024 (aged 89y 184d)
- Height
- 179 cm
- Weight
- 78 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Alexandra in the Waranga North East Football League, John Elward was a tall ruckman whose time at senior level was heavily restricted by injury. While he managed only 16 senior games, he proved to be a vital component of Hawthorn's developing depth, anchoring the ruck in the club's back-to-back Reserves premierships in 1958 and 1959. His dominance at the lower level was recognised with the 1958 Reserves Best and Fairest, but his body ultimately failed him before he could establish himself in the seniors. Elward suffered a broken leg at the end of the 1960 season and, tragically, re-broke the same leg just ten minutes into his comeback game in the seconds the following year, forcing a premature retirement right as the Hawks surged toward their maiden VFL flag.