Australian Football

Originally from amateur club Ormond, Simon Eishold attracted attention from VFL clubs when he starred for a VAFA representative team in a match against a VFA combination. Melbourne it was who persuaded him to try his hand at big time football and he made his senior VFL debut for them in 1986. His progress at first was somewhat stuttering, although he did take part in the infamous 1987 preliminary final which saw the Demons lose out to Hawthorn thanks to a goal kicked after the siren. He missed the following season’s grand final clash with the same opponent after breaking his collarbone.

Between 1989 and 1991 Eishold was a regular merer of the Demons’ senior line-up. Best described as a utility, he perhaps produced his most effective football as a centreman, albeit one who liked to go forward and kick a goal. In 1992, a knee injury sustained in a pre-season practice match kept him on the sidelines for most of the year and he managed just five League appearances.

The 1993 season saw Eishold crossing to Richmond but he struggled to have an impact, and after playing just five games for the year he left the club. He later captain-coached Goulburn League club Echuca to a premiership in 1997 having two years earlier won the Morrison Medal for best and fairest in the competition. His last port of call as a player was Bundoora, where he played in 1999.

Author - John Devaney