Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
William Kuhlken

Known as
Bill Kuhlken

Born
17 April 1910

Died
5 September 1957 (aged 47)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 20y 16d
Last game: 27y 56d

Height and weight
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 86 kg

Senior clubs
Geelong; Carlton

Jumper numbers
Geelong: 1
Carlton: 1, 20

Recruited from
Geelong (1936)

Bill Kuhlken

Advanced stats
Club
League
Career span
Games
Goals
Avg
Win %
AKI
AHB
AMK
BV
GeelongV/AFL1930-1936801011.2665%11.00—4.382
CarltonV/AFL1936-1937950.5656%11.33—2.670
V/AFL1930-1937891061.1964%11.07—3.912
Total1930-1937891061.1964%11.07—3.912

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 3,647th player to appear, 2,762nd most games played, 1,043rd most goals kickedGeelong: 358th player to appear, 219th most games played, 82nd most goals kickedCarlton: 529th player to appear, 790th most games played, 563rd most goals kicked

Bill Kuhlken was a tough, hard working forward and ruckman whose kicking for goal was excellent. He commenced his senior football career with Port Melbourne in the VFA and was a member of the club’s losing grand finals of 1928 against Coburg and 1929 against Northcote. The 1930 season found him at Geelong where he enjoyed a highly promising first season, registering 57 goals to top the club’s list, and lining up at full forward in the grand final loss to Collingwood.

Between 1930 and half way through the 1936 season Kuhlken played 80 VFL games and kicked 101 goals for the Cats before rounding off his playing career with nine games and five goals for Carlton in 1936-7. He played once for Victoria in 1933. 

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main; Wikipedia article; Cats' Tales by Col Hutchinson

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Footnotes

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