Australian Football

Arguably one of the finest Sydney born footballers of the twentieth century, Harry Free enjoyed an illustrious 17-season senior career with Newtown, during which he played in excess of 380 games. Most of those games were played on the last line of defence, initially in the back pocket, but later as a redoubtable and reliable full back who conceded nothing to his opponents other than, on occasion, a centimetre or two. An almost perennial New South Wales representative (19 appearances), he played in a Newtown premiership side in his debut season of 1947, and thereafter in each of the ensuing three years as well. Despite playing in positions traditionally regarded as unglamorous, Free twice finished among the top three vote getters in the Phelan Medal, and won his club's best and fairest award on several occasions (the precise number, alas, is unknown). He is a member of the Sydney AFL Hall of Fame.

Author - John Devaney