Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Craig Davis

Known as
Craig Davis

Born
2 October 1954 (age 69)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 278d
Last game: 33y 273d

Height and weight
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 81 kg

Senior clubs
Carlton; North Melbourne; Collingwood; Sydney

Jumper numbers
Carlton: 23
North Melbourne: 14
Collingwood: 19
Sydney: 60

Recruited from
Carlton (1977); North Melbourne (1979); Collingwood (1988)

Family links
Nick Davis (Son)Mitch  Thorp (Nephew)Brent Crosswell (Cousin)

Craig Davis

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
CarltonV/AFL1973-197542721.7160%10.731.494.272
North MelbourneV/AFL1977-197810202.0070%6.401.702.800
CollingwoodV/AFL1979-19831022512.4656%11.232.734.437
SydneyV/AFL19889171.8922%5.781.223.110
V/AFL1973-1975, 1977-1983, 19881633602.2156%10.502.274.229
Total1973-1975, 1977-1983, 19881633602.2156%10.502.274.229

AFL: 8,596th player to appear, 1,088th most games played, 131st most goals kickedCarlton: 840th player to appear, 379th most games played, 129th most goals kickedNorth Melbourne: 695th player to appear, 623rd most games played, 253rd most goals kickedCollingwood: 787th player to appear, 180th most games played, 22nd most goals kickedSydney: 1,169th player to appear, 858th most games played, 354th most goals kicked

Carlton recruited Craig Davis from Launceston and he made his senior grade debut, aged eighteen, in 1973. Much of his football was played as a full forward but it was only really at Collingwood, his third VFL port of call, that he could be rated a success. With the Blues he played 42 games in three seasons, kicking 72 goals, including a club list topping tally of 45 in 1974. He sustained a head injury prior to the 1976 season and did not play a senior game all year. At season's end he was encouraged to retire, but North Melbourne offered him a lifeline and he went on to spend the 1977 and 1978 seasons at Arden Street. However, he struggled to hold down a place in the powerful Kangas line-up, managing just 10 games and registering 20 goals before moving on once more, this time, as previously intimated, to Collingwood. 

Not tall for a full forward at just 183cm, at his best, as he repeatedly showed with the Magpies, he could be highly effective, demonstrating considerable courage, agility and aerial prowess, as well as a keen goal sense. In his first season with Collingwood he topped the club's goal kicking list with 88 goals, only 3 adrift of Kelvin Templeton's Coleman Medal-winning tally. He was once again the Magpies' leading goal kicker in 1980, with 52 goals.

Davis 'retired' at the end of the 1983 season having played 102 games for Collingwood in five seasons, netting 251 goals. However, five years later he was persuaded to make a single season comeback with Sydney as coach Tom Hafey believed the team needed more experience. Davis played 9 games for the Swans and booted 17 goals to round off his career. He later served as General Manager of the NSWAFL.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Publications

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.