Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Jack Butcher

Known as
Jack Butcher

Born
28 October 1914

Died
26 February 1978 (aged 63)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 23y 184d
Last game: 30y 217d

Height and weight
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 80 kg

Senior clubs
Geelong; South Melbourne

Jumper numbers
Geelong: 31, 1
South Melbourne: 10

Recruited from
Geelong (1942); South Melbourne (1944)

Jack Butcher

Advanced stats
Club
League
Career span
Games
Goals
Avg
Win %
AKI
AHB
AMK
BV
GeelongV/AFL1938-1941, 1944-194586180.2135%13.40—1.4011
South MelbourneV/AFL1942-194332160.5056%———0
V/AFL1938-1945118340.2941%13.40—1.4011
Total1938-1945118340.2941%13.40—1.4011

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 4,577th player to appear, 1,981st most games played, 2,744th most goals kickedGeelong: 421st player to appear, 203rd most games played, 315th most goals kickedSouth Melbourne: 589th player to appear, 453rd most games played, 362nd most goals kicked

Elegant in a way and to a degree that only left footers ever seem capable of, Jack Butcher was a stand-out member of generally mediocre Geelong sides in the late 1930s and early to mid-1940s. He was adaptable, and could do a better than serviceable job in numerous positions, but probably played his best football across half back. Recruited from Drysdale, Butcher made his senior VFL debut for the Cats in round two, 1938 against St Kilda at the Junction Oval. 

When Geelong was forced into temporary recess in 1942 because of wartime travel restrictions Butcher transferred to South Melbourne for whom he played 32 games and kicked 16 goals in two seasons. When Geelong resumed in 1944, Jack Butcher was appointed captain, a role he retained the following season, which proved to be his last. He played 86 VFL games for the Cats in all, kicking 18 goals. 

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Footy Publications

Footnotes

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