Australian Football

AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game

 

Key Facts

Full name
Eric George Glass

Known as
Eric 'Tarzan' Glass

Nickname
Tarzan

Born
22 February 1910

Place of birth
Goomalling, WA (6460)

Died
29 July 1985 (aged 75)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 23y 66d
Last game: 28y 151d

Height and weight
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 89 kg

Senior clubs
East Fremantle; Melbourne; Williamstown

Jumper numbers
Melbourne: 16

Recruited from
East Fremantle (1933); Melbourne (1939)

State of origin
WA

Eric 'Tarzan' Glass

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
East FremantleWANFL1927, 1930-1932551152.09
MelbourneV/AFL1933-1938781351.7355%10.824.1011
WilliamstownVFA1939-1941, 194582540.66
Total1927, 1930-1941, 19452153041.41

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 3,997th player to appear, 3,073rd most games played, 751st most goals kickedMelbourne: 509th player to appear, 222nd most games played, 56th most goals kicked

Originally from Goomaling, Eric 'Tarzan' Glass combined a ferocious determination to win the ball with a touch of elegance when using it that often seems to typify left footers. He had boundless energy and enthusiasm, and was the sort of player who could turn a match almost single-handedly. He made his senior league debut with East Fremantle in 1927 and his 55 games with the club both that year and from 1930 to 1932 included the winning Grand Finals of 1930 (two goals from full forward) and 1931 (two goals from half forward right).

Between 1933 and 1938, Glass played 78 VFL games and kicked 135 goals for Melbourne, topping the club's list with 56 goals in 1936. His final port of call was Williamstown, where he played with distinction, mainly as a follower, until after World War II. He was a member of the Seagulls' 1939 and 1945 premiership combinations, played a total of 82 VFA games and kicked 54 goals, and in 2003 was included in the first ruck in the club's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Footy Publications

Footnotes

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