Australian Football

AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game

 

Key Facts

Full name
Ernest Hug

Known as
Ernie Hug

Born
4 March 1944

Died
17 June 1978 (aged 34)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 117d
Last game: 27y 128d

Height and weight
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 87 kg

Senior clubs
Collingwood; South Melbourne

Jumper numbers
Collingwood: 45, 17, 10, 7
South Melbourne: 2

Recruited from
Collingwood (1971)

Ernie Hug

Advanced stats
Club
League
Career span
Games
Goals
Avg
Win %
AKI
AHB
AMK
BV
CollingwoodV/AFL1963-1965, 1967-19705950.0856%10.461.615.148
South MelbourneV/AFL19711500.0013%10.731.675.672
V/AFL1963-1965, 1967-19717450.0747%10.521.625.2510
Total1963-1965, 1967-19717450.0747%10.521.625.2510

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 7,516th player to appear, 3,273rd most games played, 6,352nd most goals kickedCollingwood: 656th player to appear, 314th most games played, 585th most goals kickedSouth Melbourne: 979th player to appear, 698th most games played, 1,367th most goals kicked

Although he looked a trifle cumbersome and lacked pace Ernie Hug succeeded at football’s top level because of his stamina and never say die spirit. He could be used either as a ruckman or defender and, needless to say, was strong in the air. He began with Collingwood in 1963 and had played 59 games for the club by the time he departed after the 1970 season. He did not play at all in 1966 because of injury.

After leaving the Magpies Ernie Hug spent the 1971 season adding 15 VFL games to his career tally with South Melbourne.

A farmer away from football, he was to die tragically in a tractor accident in 1978.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main; Wikipedia article

Footnotes

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