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Full name
Raymond Nilsson
Known as
Ray Nilsson
Born
26 November 1938 (age 85)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 21y 198d
Last game: 26y 275d
Height and weight
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 68 kg
Senior clubs
Melbourne; South Melbourne
Jumper numbers
Melbourne: 38
South Melbourne: 39, 37
Recruited from
Melbourne (1964)
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne | V/AFL | 1960-1963 | 41 | 44 | 1.07 | 66% | 5.20 | — | 1.00 | 0 |
South Melbourne | V/AFL | 1964-1965 | 21 | 10 | 0.48 | 33% | 10.31 | 4.15 | 1.92 | 1 |
V/AFL | 1960-1965 | 62 | 54 | 0.87 | 55% | 8.89 | 4.15 | 1.67 | 1 | |
Total | 1960-1965 | 62 | 54 | 0.87 | 55% | 8.89 | 4.15 | 1.67 | 1 |
Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only
AFL: 7,172nd player to appear, 3,705th most games played, 1,942nd most goals kickedMelbourne: 790th player to appear, 386th most games played, 171st most goals kickedSouth Melbourne: 897th player to appear, 571st most games played, 481st most goals kicked
Rover, small forward and wingman Ray Nilsson commenced with Melbourne’s thirds in 1957 after which his progress was fairly slow, but he finally got a call up to the seniors a third of the way through the 1960 season. He played 13 games for the year, culminating in the grand final clash with Collingwood, when he was named as a reserve. Late in the game he got a run and so could be said to have made a legible contribution to the team’s triumph.
Subsequent seasons saw Nilsson struggling to establish himself, and in 1964, after 41 VFL games and 44 goals for the Demons, he transferred to South Melbourne, which was a popular destination for Melbourne footballers of the 1960s. His two season stint with the Swans saw him add a final 21 games and 10 goals to his respective career tallies.
Author - John Devaney