Australian Football

AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game

 

Key Facts

Full name
Frank Adams

Known as
Frank Adams

Nickname
Bluey

Born
12 June 1935

Died
11 August 2019 (aged 84)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 50d
Last game: 29y 99d

Height and weight
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 76 kg

Senior clubs
Melbourne

Jumper numbers
Melbourne: 41, 6

Frank Adams

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
MelbourneV/AFL1953-19641641801.1071%13.411.8223
Total1953-19641641801.1071%13.411.8223

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 6,375th player to appear, 1,072nd most games played, 486th most goals kickedMelbourne: 749th player to appear, 47th most games played, 32nd most goals kicked

Bluey Adams, Melbourne rover, is a typical example of ‘Ginger for Pluck’. He has improved out of sight since he was promoted from the Thirds and on Saturday he gave a very bright display against Richmond.¹

A supremely talented and pacy wingman or rover, Frank 'Bluey' Adams was a major driving force behind Melbourne's domination of the VFL during the late 1950s and early '60s. He is probably best remembered for the accidental collision with Collingwood's Des Healey during the last quarter of the 1955 Grand Final which left him with a severely fractured jaw.² However, he deserves to be remembered more for his electrifying displays in no fewer than six Demons premiership sides over the course of a 13-season, 164-game league career. After his retirement as a player, he served as a Melbourne committee member.

Author - John Devaney

Footnotes

1. “Sporting Globe”, 19/5/54, page 4. Adams had helped Melbourne defeat Richmond by 30 points, 14.13 to 10.7.
2. Adams subsequently recovered and resumed his Demons playing career, but Healey never played VFL football again.

Sources

Full Points Footy Publications

Footnotes

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