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Full name
John Cassin
Known as
John Cassin
Born
2 July 1951 (age 72)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 352d
Last game: 30y 296d
Height and weight
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 73 kg
Senior clubs
Essendon; West Torrens; North Melbourne; Fitzroy
Jumper numbers
Essendon: 42, 9
North Melbourne: 3
Fitzroy: 3, 21
Recruited from
Essendon (1975); West Torrens (1977); North Melbourne (1981)
Family links
Jack Cassin (Father)
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Essendon | V/AFL | 1971-1974 | 51 | 32 | 0.63 | 43% | 10.43 | 2.67 | 2.47 | 2 |
West Torrens | SANFL | 1975-1976 | 34 | 35 | 1.03 | — | — | — | — | — |
North Melbourne | V/AFL | 1977-1981 | 78 | 83 | 1.06 | 68% | 11.26 | 5.42 | 2.74 | 16 |
Fitzroy | V/AFL | 1981-1982 | 5 | 0 | 0.00 | 40% | 4.60 | 4.40 | 1.20 | 0 |
V/AFL | 1971-1974, 1977-1982 | 134 | 115 | 0.86 | 57% | 10.69 | 4.34 | 2.58 | 18 | |
SANFL | 1975-1976 | 34 | 35 | 1.03 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Total | 1971-1982 | 168 | 150 | 0.89 | — | — | — | — | — |
AFL: 8,394th player to appear, 1,613th most games played, 929th most goals kickedEssendon: 794th player to appear, 350th most games played, 245th most goals kickedNorth Melbourne: 686th player to appear, 174th most games played, 81st most goals kickedFitzroy: 990th player to appear, 808th most games played, 1,126th most goals kicked
John Cassin was a tough, reliable wingman and on baller who joined Essendon from Colacunder under the father-son rule, his father Jack having played for the club in the '30s and '40s. Between 1971 and 1974 he played a total of 51 VFL games for the Bombers and booted 32 goals. He spent the 1975 and 1976 seasons with West Torrens, playing 34 SANFL games and kicking 35 goals, and captaining the club in his second season.
Crossing to North Melbourne in 1977 he enjoyed a fine season, culminating in the highlight of his career as he helped his new side to a 21.25 (151) to 19.10 (124) replayed Grand Final win over Collingwood. He was the only player to play in every North senior day game that year, twenty-seven in all, a record number for a season in the V/AFL competition. Cassin went on to play 78 senior games and kick 83 goals in four and a half years with the Kangas before transferring to Fitzroy midway through the 1981 season. He remained with the Lions until the end of the 1982 season, but only played another 5 league games without kicking a goal.
Author - John Devaney