AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
Full name
Robert Flanigan
Known as
Bob Flanigan
Born
25 March 1914
Died
12 July 1988 (aged 74)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 22y 38d
Last game: 31y 90d
Height and weight
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 74 kg
Senior clubs
Footscray; Essendon
Jumper numbers
Footscray: 26, 25, 13
Essendon: 30
Recruited from
Footscray (1941)
Family links
Jack Flanigan (Brother)
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Footscray | V/AFL | 1936-1940 | 49 | 1 | 0.02 | 41% | 13.40 | — | 4.40 | 14 |
Essendon | V/AFL | 1941-1942, 1944-1945 | 42 | 1 | 0.02 | 64% | — | — | — | 0 |
V/AFL | 1936-1942, 1944-1945 | 91 | 2 | 0.02 | 52% | 13.40 | — | 4.40 | 14 | |
Total | 1936-1942, 1944-1945 | 91 | 2 | 0.02 | 52% | 13.40 | — | 4.40 | 14 |
Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only
AFL: 4,348th player to appear, 2,712th most games played, 7,915th most goals kickedFootscray: 204th player to appear, 263rd most games played, 709th most goals kickedEssendon: 554th player to appear, 397th most games played, 808th most goals kicked
In a sport where toughness is a pre-requisite Bob Flanigan took the quality to rare heights. Over the course of his career he sustained countless injuries including a fractured skull. Normally deployed across half back he was almost reckless in his attack on ball and opponent. He commenced with Footscray in 1936 and over the course of a five season stint he played 49 VFL games and scored one goal. The 1941 season found him at Essendon where he played 42 games and kicked one goal in 1941-2 and 1944-5. As if the proliferation of injuries was not bad enough, Flanigan missed the whole 1943 season with illness. There were positives though, not least his superb performance in the 1942 grand final which saw the Dons account for Richmond by 53 points, 19.18 to 11.13. The triumph helped atone for the previous year’s flag decider in which Essendon had gone down to Melbourne.
Author - John Devaney