Jon Lilley
St Kilda
AFL career
49 games2 goals
- Debut
- R18 1967 v COL26 Aug 1967
- Most recent
- R16 1971 v CAR17 July 1971
Stats
Bio
A tough and strongly built defender, Jon Lilley is best remembered for coming agonizingly close to making his VFL debut in St Kilda's legendary 1966 Grand Final victory. Recruited from Upwey-Tecoma, the teenager was named as an emergency for the premiership decider despite having never played a senior game, and was subjected to a gruelling pre-match fitness test against teammate John Bingley to determine the final spot in the side. Lilley ultimately missed out, forcing him to wait until the final round of 1967 to make his official debut. He subsequently established himself as a regular back pocket player following the retirement of club great Verdun Howell, becoming a reliable contributor in the Saints' defence for several seasons. His League career was eventually curtailed by his professional commitments with TAA, which required extensive travel and forced him to miss matches, leading him to finish his playing days with Oakleigh in the VFA and later Springvale.
Profile
- Full name
- Jon Karl Lilley
- Born
- 21 Apr 1947
- Died
- 21 Oct 2025 (aged 78y 183d)
- Height
- 183 cm
- Weight
- 86 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionA tough and strongly built defender, Jon Lilley is best remembered for coming agonizingly close to making his VFL debut in St Kilda's legendary 1966 Grand Final victory. Recruited from Upwey-Tecoma, the teenager was named as an emergency for the premiership decider despite having never played a senior game, and was subjected to a gruelling pre-match fitness test against teammate John Bingley to determine the final spot in the side. Lilley ultimately missed out, forcing him to wait until the final round of 1967 to make his official debut. He subsequently established himself as a regular back pocket player following the retirement of club great Verdun Howell, becoming a reliable contributor in the Saints' defence for several seasons. His League career was eventually curtailed by his professional commitments with TAA, which required extensive travel and forced him to miss matches, leading him to finish his playing days with Oakleigh in the VFA and later Springvale.