Australian Football

Douglas Anderson played for most of his 210-game league career as a defender. Given that over the course of the twelve year period that that career lasted his club, Swan Districts, managed an overall success rate of just 22.9%, it seems reasonable to suppose that Anderson found himself in the thick of the action more often than not. Moreover, the fact that he was three times adjudged Swans’ fairest and best player, and was selected to represent his state on 4 occasions, makes it clear that his contribution to that action was conspicuous and telling. Presumably, his club’s success rate would have been even worse had he not been around to bolster its backlines so superbly.

Anderson made his debut with Swans in 1945, the season that saw the WANFL senior competition restored after three years of under-age football. At season’s end he enjoyed major round participation for the first and only time in his career, but his sterling work at centre half back was insufficient to prevent a first semi final loss to South Fremantle.

Besides his fairest and best awards and interstate involvement, the highlight of Anderson’s career was probably his two season stint as club captain in 1951-2. The importance of his all round contribution to Swan Districts was later commemorated by his inclusion on the interchange bench in the club’s official ‘Team of the Century’.

Author - John Devaney