AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
Full name
Laurence Dearle
Known as
Laurie Dearle
Born
16 October 1919
Died
25 October 1979 (aged 60)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 22y 205d
Last game: 27y 318d
Height and weight
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 76 kg
Senior clubs
East Fremantle; Essendon
Jumper numbers
Essendon: 10
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Fremantle | WANFL | 1940 | 12 | 19 | 1.58 | — | — | — | — | — |
Essendon | V/AFL | 1942-1947 | 76 | 42 | 0.55 | 66% | — | — | — | 1 |
Echuca East | EFL | 1948 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Total | 1940, 1942-1948 | 88 | 61 | 0.69 | — | — | — | — | — |
AFL: 5,004th player to appear, 3,156th most games played, 2,340th most goals kickedEssendon: 562nd player to appear, 247th most games played, 201st most goals kicked
Recruited locally, East Fremantle's Laurie Dearle played 12 games as a half-forward flanker for Old Easts in 1940, kicking 19 goals and gaining the attention of VFL side Essendon in the process. The following March he moved to Melbourne and, after meeting residential requirements, took his place on the field with the Dons in the opening round of the 1942 season, kicking two goals on debut in a big win over 1941 premiers Melbourne.
Thereafter Dearle made the move to the centre and it was in that position that he starred in the Dons' 1942 Grand Final thrashing of Richmond, kicking two goals. Over the next five seasons, Dearle was an Essendon regular, appearing in another Grand Final (a loss to Richmond) in his second season, and playing finals again in 1944.
Injury and tapering form robbed Dearle of Grand Final appearances in 1946 and 1947, and after his 76th and final game for Essendon in Round 19 of the latter season, he signed on as the captain-coach of Echuca East in the Echuca Football League for the 1948 season. Though he led the club to a Grand Final in his inaugural season there, 1949 saw Dearle return to Melbourne for business reasons, and hanging up the boots as a result of ongoing knee cartilage problems.
Author - Andrew Gigacz