Neil Bencraft
Melbourne
AFL career
2 games3 goals
- Debut
- R14 1944 v CAR5 Aug 1944
- Most recent
- R15 1944 v GEE12 Aug 1944
Stats
Bio
A definitive legend of the Sandringham Football Club, Neil Bencraft’s VFL career was a brief wartime cameo that hinted at the immense talent he possessed. Emerging from the Sandringham Colts, the diminutive rover was recruited to Melbourne in 1944 while the VFA competition was in recess due to the Second World War. He made an immediate impact in his short stint, booting three goals in just two senior appearances, but he opted to return to the Zebras immediately upon the VFA’s resumption in 1945. While his time at the top level was fleeting, his subsequent career was anything but; Bencraft became a Sandringham icon, starring in the 1946 premiership with a match-winning performance, coaching the club to the 1962 flag, and eventually having the club's Best and Fairest medal named in his honour.
Profile
- Born
- 08 Dec 1924
- Died
- 10 Oct 2010 (aged 85y 306d)
- Height
- 165 cm
- Weight
- 64 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionA definitive legend of the Sandringham Football Club, Neil Bencraft’s VFL career was a brief wartime cameo that hinted at the immense talent he possessed. Emerging from the Sandringham Colts, the diminutive rover was recruited to Melbourne in 1944 while the VFA competition was in recess due to the Second World War. He made an immediate impact in his short stint, booting three goals in just two senior appearances, but he opted to return to the Zebras immediately upon the VFA’s resumption in 1945. While his time at the top level was fleeting, his subsequent career was anything but; Bencraft became a Sandringham icon, starring in the 1946 premiership with a match-winning performance, coaching the club to the 1962 flag, and eventually having the club's Best and Fairest medal named in his honour.