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Rodney Olsson

Hawthorn

AFL career

116 games64 goals

Debut
R2 1962 v COL28 Apr 1962
Most recent
R20 1969 v STK30 Aug 1969

Coaching career

91 games45 wins46 losses0 draws

First
R1 1976 v SME3 Apr 1976
Most recent
R22 1979 v FIT1 Sept 1979

Stats

1969
HAW
20
17.7
3.1
20.8
3.9
3.3
2.2
0.4
0.6
1968
HAW
19
14.4
3.3
17.7
2.7
2.1
1.3
0.4
0.4
1967
HAW
18
13.8
1.5
15.3
2.2
1.6
1.3
0.6
0.4
1966
HAW
11
11.8
3.0
14.8
2.9
1.9
1.8
0.5
0.7
1965
HAW
6
14.3
3.3
17.7
2.3
1.2
1.7
0.5
0.0
1964
HAW
17
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.0
-
1963
HAW
19
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.6
-
1962
HAW
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.3
-
League
Season
STK
GO
R20
16
1
17
2
2
1
0
0.4
GEE
KP
R19
15
2
17
1
4
2
0
0.0
RCH
GO
R18
21
3
24
5
5
3
0
0.0
NTH
GO
R17
20
2
22
2
6
3
1
0.0
MEL
MCG
R16
17
8
25
6
2
1
1
2.0
FSC
WO
R15
18
5
23
8
2
1
0
0.0
ESS
GO
R14
12
6
18
5
5
2
0
0.1
CAR
GO
R13
17
3
20
4
6
1
0
1.0
COL
VP
R12
20
2
22
3
5
3
1
1.3
SME
GO
R11
16
2
18
4
2
1
0
1.0
FIT
PP
R10
16
2
18
5
4
0
0
0.0
STK
MO
R9
22
2
24
0
4
4
0
0.1
GEE
GO
R8
19
1
20
5
1
3
0
0.0
RCH
MCG
R7
18
5
23
2
1
1
1
0.1
NTH
AS
R6
20
6
26
5
4
2
1
3.1
MEL
GO
R5
17
4
21
2
1
2
0
0.0
FSC
GO
R4
15
2
17
3
5
2
0
0.0
ESS
WH
R3
19
3
22
3
3
1
0
0.0
CAR
PP
R2
21
1
22
7
2
7
0
0.0
COL
GO
R1
15
2
17
6
2
3
0
0.0

Profile

Born
23 Apr 1942 (age 84y 181d)
Height
187 cm
Weight
89 kg

Teams

  • Hawthorn
    116 games, 64 goals
    1962–1969

Coaching

  • Geelong (Senior Coach)
    1976–1979
    91 games (W45 L46 D0), 49.5%

Bio

1 revision

Recruited from Old Scotch, Rodney Olsson was a versatile and determined utility who became a fixture of the Hawthorn side throughout the 1960s. While he initially cut his teeth on the half-forward and half-back flanks, he eventually found his niche as a hardworking ruck-rover, providing the midfield grunt demanded by legendary coach John Kennedy Sr. A fierce competitor known for his consistency and clubman spirit, Olsson played a key role in the Hawks' rise during the decade and was a member of the team that fell short against Geelong in the 1963 Grand Final.

After 116 games in the brown and gold, Olsson departed the VFL at the end of 1969 to pursue coaching opportunities in Tasmania. He enjoyed immediate success as captain-coach of Sandy Bay, leading them to back-to-back premierships, before returning to the major league to take the reins as senior coach of Geelong in the late 1970s. His transition from a tough on-field worker to a respected tactician cemented his standing in the game well beyond his playing days at Glenferrie Oval.

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