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Key Facts
Full name
Leslie William Mitchell Hughson Snr
Known as
Les Hughson
Born
12 September 1907
Place of birth
Richmond, VIC (3121)
Died
22 October 1985 (aged 78)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 314d
Last game: 29y 350d
Height and weight
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 90 kg
Senior clubs
Collingwood; Hawthorn; Carlton; St. Kilda; Fitzroy
Jumper numbers
Collingwood: 29
Hawthorn: 24
Carlton: 1, 29
St. Kilda: 29, 19
Fitzroy: 5
Recruited from
Collingwood (1928); Hawthorn (1933); Carlton (1934); St. Kilda (1937)
State of origin
VIC
Family links
Mick Hughson (Brother)Fred Hughson (Brother)Les Hughson Jnr (Son)Denis Hughson (Nephew)
Les Hughson
| Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collingwood | V/AFL | 1927 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 100% | — | — | — | 0 |
| Hawthorn | V/AFL | 1928 | 4 | 3 | 0.75 | 0% | — | — | — | 0 |
| Carlton | V/AFL | 1933-1934 | 12 | 7 | 0.58 | 67% | 13.00 | — | 4.33 | 2 |
| St. Kilda | V/AFL | 1934-1936 | 41 | 45 | 1.10 | 56% | 15.25 | — | 4.25 | 1 |
| Fitzroy | V/AFL | 1937 | 17 | 12 | 0.71 | 35% | 12.00 | — | 2.00 | 3 |
| V/AFL | 1927-1928, 1933-1937 | 75 | 68 | 0.91 | 51% | 14.00 | — | 4.00 | 6 | |
| Total | 1927-1928, 1933-1937 | 75 | 68 | 0.91 | 51% | 14.00 | — | 4.00 | 6 | |
Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only
AFL: 3,345th player to appear, 3,194th most games played, 1,592nd most goals kickedCollingwood: 314th player to appear, 1,122nd most games played, 791st most goals kickedHawthorn: 89th player to appear, 751st most games played, 512th most goals kickedCarlton: 498th player to appear, 714th most games played, 497th most goals kickedSt. Kilda: 704th player to appear, 370th most games played, 149th most goals kickedFitzroy: 509th player to appear, 501st most games played, 320th most goals kicked
Over the course of his decade long career Les Hughson enjoyed the distinction of playing for no fewer than five VFL clubs, plus one from the VFA. Admittedly, the majority of his league stints were mere cameos, but the fact that he was an accomplished footballer was undeniable. Tall and strongly built at 188cm and 88kg, there was a touch of ferocity to his play, but he seldom transgressed, and his capacity for hard work was impressive.
Hughson made his senior league debut in 1927 with Collingwood, but that single appearance represented the sum total of his Magpies career. A mere four game stint at Hawthorn in 1928 followed, but after crossing to Preston in the VFA his career began to blossom. Deployed as a follower and forward, he played 34 games and scored 33 goals from 1931 to 1933, whilst making it abundantly clear that he had few peers in the competition. Confidence duly enhanced by this experience, he resumed his elite level career in 1933 with Carlton, where he played 12 games and kicked seven goals in one and a half seasons. Midway through the 1934 season he crossed to St Kilda, where he produced the best and most consistent football of his career, adding 41 VFL games and 45 goals over a two and a half season stint. His final sojourn came in 1937 when he joined his brothers Fred and Mick at Fitzroy, and continued to produce some fine football over 15 appearances which saw him bag 12 goals.
Author - John Devaney