Phil Early
Essendon and Fitzroy
AFL career
13 games4 goals
- Debut
- R12 1977 v STK18 June 1977
- Most recent
- R16 1980 v NTH19 July 1980
Stats
Bio
Recruited from local side Strathmore after a standout junior career, Phil Early burst onto the VFL scene at Essendon as a 17-year-old prospect. Standing 188cm, he presented as a promising marking forward and managed 10 senior appearances in his debut 1977 season, showing glimpses of the talent that had won him the Essendon District League's Under-17 Best and Fairest. Despite this rapid ascent, he was unable to consolidate his spot at Windy Hill, surprisingly returning to Strathmore for the 1978 season. Fitzroy offered him a VFL lifeline in 1979, but he spent the bulk of his time in the reserves, adding just three senior games to his tally in 1980 before eventually departing to captain-coach in the suburban and country leagues.
Profile
- Born
- 30 Sept 1959 (age 67y 21d)
- Height
- 188 cm
- Weight
- 86 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from local side Strathmore after a standout junior career, Phil Early burst onto the VFL scene at Essendon as a 17-year-old prospect. Standing 188cm, he presented as a promising marking forward and managed 10 senior appearances in his debut 1977 season, showing glimpses of the talent that had won him the Essendon District League's Under-17 Best and Fairest. Despite this rapid ascent, he was unable to consolidate his spot at Windy Hill, surprisingly returning to Strathmore for the 1978 season. Fitzroy offered him a VFL lifeline in 1979, but he spent the bulk of his time in the reserves, adding just three senior games to his tally in 1980 before eventually departing to captain-coach in the suburban and country leagues.