AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
Full name
Geoffrey Case
Known as
Geoff Case
Born
15 September 1935
Died
22 June 2018 (aged 82)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 17y 250d
Last game: 26y 267d
Height and weight
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Senior clubs
Melbourne
Jumper numbers
Melbourne: 7
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne | V/AFL | 1953-1962 | 123 | 34 | 0.28 | 70% | 10.88 | — | 2.38 | 8 |
Total | 1953-1962 | 123 | 34 | 0.28 | 70% | 10.88 | — | 2.38 | 8 |
Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only
AFL: 6,334th player to appear, 1,872nd most games played, 2,747th most goals kickedMelbourne: 743rd player to appear, 119th most games played, 215th most goals kicked
Classy and tough, Geoff Case could perform with equal proficiency at either half forward or half back. Recruited from Melbourne Grammar, Case broke into the Demons' senior side in round five of the 1953 season and the following season won his side's Most Improved Player award as the club reached the first of seven consecutive Grand Finals.
His 123 VFL games for Melbourne included the 1955, 1957, 1959 and 1960 premiership victories, but he missed the Demons' 1958 Grand Final against Collingwood after contracting chicken pox. Perhaps that was a good thing, as Melbourne were defeated by the Magpies in a huge upset, or perhaps Case's presence could have made a difference to the result, as he had played every game of the season to that point.
Case missed most of the 1961 season after sustaining a severe shoulder injury in the Demons' round two loss to Hawthorn, after which he struggled to break back into the senior line-up. In 1962 his form was good enough to see him win the club's reserves best and fairest award, but earned him selection in just one senior match in round eight — a loss to Fitzroy. It proved to be his last, as he elected to retire from the game at the end of that season, aged just 26.
A state representative who played for a Victorian B side against Tasmania, Case was inducted into Melbourne's Hall of Fame in 2013. He passed away in June 2018, aged 82.
Author - Andrew Gigacz and John Devaney