Australian Football

AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game

 

Key Facts

Full name
Leo Malachy Seward

Known as
Leo 'Sommy' Seward

Nickname
Sommy

Born
3 November 1885

Place of birth
Ballarat, VIC (3350)

Died
1 April 1941 (aged 55)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 22y 188d
Last game: 22y 286d

Height and weight
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 93 kg

Senior clubs
University; Perth

Recruited from
Ballarat (1908)

State of origin
VIC

Leo 'Sommy' Seward

Advanced stats
Club
League
Career span
Games
Goals
Avg
Win %
AKI
AHB
AMK
BV
UniversityV/AFL190815151.0053%———0
PerthWAFL19134———————
Total1908, 191319150.79—————

AFL: 1,371st player to appear, 7,293rd most games played, 4,244th most goals kickedUniversity: 20th player to appear, 51st most games played, 17th most goals kicked

Acknowledged as one of the pre-eminent ruckmen of his day, Leo Seward learned his football at St Pat's College, Ballarat, and most of his senior career was spent playing in the Ballarat Football League. He spent the 1908 season in the VFL as a member of University's inaugural league combination, when he was arguably that club's most consistently effective performer. 

At 193 cm and 93 kg he was one of the biggest men playing top level football at the time. He was also highly skilled, with a deceptively lazy grace to his movements which had connoisseurs of the game drooling with admiration. The VFL portion of Seward's career comprised 15 senior games, during which he kicked 15 goals. In 1913 he added four league games with Perth.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Footy Publications

Footnotes

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