Australian Football

AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game

 

Key Facts

Full name
Roy James Harper

Known as
Roy Harper

Born
29 March 1929

Died
15 August 2023 (aged 94)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 23y 21d
Last game: 26y 46d

Height and weight
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 86 kg

Senior clubs
Sandringham; Footscray

Jumper numbers
Footscray: 10

Family links
Bruce Harper (Brother)

Roy Harper

Advanced stats
Club
League
Career span
Games
Goals
Avg
Win %
AKI
AHB
AMK
BV
SandringhamVFA1949-1951, 1956-195783931.12—————
FootscrayV/AFL1952-195540260.6548%10.00—3.509
Total1949-19571231190.97—————

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 6,177th player to appear, 4,887th most games played, 3,268th most goals kickedFootscray: 387th player to appear, 308th most games played, 228th most goals kicked

Effective in a variety of positions, Roy Harper was an eye-catching performer for Sandringham during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He ran second in the Liston Trophy voting in 1949, and came third and fifth in the following couple of seasons. After winning the Zebras' club champion award in 1951 he crossed to Footscray, which beat off four other league clubs for his signature, and proved himself a useful player, mainly on the forward lines, over the ensuing four seasons. Unfortunately, however, he missed the greatest moment in the Bulldogs' history, the victorious 1954 Grand Final, and a year later after 40 VFL games, which yielded 26 goals, he retired.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Footy Publications

Footnotes

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