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Full name
Donald Clement Hart
Known as
Don Hart
Born
29 September 1930
Died
8 February 2018 (aged 87)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 261d
Last game: 23y 319d
Height and weight
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 77 kg
Jumper numbers
Fitzroy: 10, 16
Richmond: 4
Recruited from
Fitzroy (1954)
Family links
Arthur Hart (Brother)Eddie Hart (Brother)
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fitzroy | V/AFL | 1950-1951, 1953 | 37 | 43 | 1.16 | 62% | — | — | — | 0 |
Richmond | V/AFL | 1954 | 5 | 2 | 0.40 | 60% | — | — | — | 0 |
V/AFL | 1950-1951, 1953-1954 | 42 | 45 | 1.07 | 62% | — | — | — | 0 | |
Total | 1950-1951, 1953-1954 | 42 | 45 | 1.07 | 62% | — | — | — | 0 |
AFL: 6,020th player to appear, 4,709th most games played, 2,212th most goals kickedFitzroy: 665th player to appear, 322nd most games played, 120th most goals kickedRichmond: 541st player to appear, 852nd most games played, 699th most goals kicked
Pacy, good overhead and a thumping left foot kick, Don Hart was a key position forward of some quality who nevertheless arguably failed to live up to his early promise. He joined Fitzroy from Westgarth Socials, and, between 1950 and 1953, played 37 VFL games and scored 43 goals. (He missed the whole of the 1952 season with knee problems that ultimately required an operation.)
In 1954 Hart rounded off the VFL phase of his career with five games and two goals for Richmond. He spent much of the season playing for the Tigers seconds, including that year’s grand final in which they comfortably overcame Melbourne. He was also the leading scorer in the VFL seconds competition with 48 goals.
Hart then moved to Brighton in the VFA where he played 53 games and scored 142 goals from 1956 to 1958. His final port of call was the Mornington Football Club in the Mornington Peninsula Football League where he spent five seasons, making 96 appearances and registering 462 goals.
Author - John Devaney