Neville Huggins
Personal information
Full name Neville David Huggins
Date of birth 11 September 1906
Place of birth Wangaratta, Victoria
Date of death 29 December 1987(1987-12-29) (aged 81)
Original team(s) Rutherglen
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Position(s) Ruck-rover
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1929 Fitzroy 04 0(3)
1931–35 North Melbourne 86 (21)
Total 90 (24)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1935.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Neville Huggins (11 September 1906 – 29 December 1987) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Huggins started his football career in the Ovens and Murray League where he took the field for Rutherglen. He then spent some time at Williamstown before being signed by Fitzroy for the 1929 VFL season. His stint at Fitzroy wasn't successful, ending after just four matches owing to a dispute with the committee. Huggins, a ruck-rover, was also a policeman by profession.

The North Melbourne team of the early 1930s was particularly weak and in his initial season with the club he didn't experience a win. It wasn't until 1932 that he played in a winning side, ending a streak of 22 consecutive losses, which stretched back to his time at Fitzroy.

Having left the VFL for good, Huggins returned to Williamstown, where he was appointed captain-coach and said to be the highest paid one in the country. A dual Club best and fairest winner in 1936 and 1937, he won the VFA Medal in 1936 and tied for it in 1937 and also took out the Recorder Cup in 1937.[1] He also captained a VFA representative side against the VFL at St Kilda in May 1937. He was overlooked as captain-coach in 1938 in favour of former North Melbourne teammate, George Jerram, but was made vice-captain. He transferred to Prahran after round 8 of the 1938 season after suffering a knee injury and then crossed to Essendon in 1939 but failed to make a senior appearance. He played a total of 36 games for Williamstown and kicked 6 goals.

Huggins coached Shepparton Football Club in their 1940 Goulburn Valley Football Association grand final loss to Lemnos.[2]

Huggins was known to be playing cricket for Shepparton Cricket Club in the 1939/40 season.[3]

Huggins was vice-captain of the Border United FC that played in the Murray Valley Patriotic Football League in 1944.

Huggins was captain / coach of the South Corowa Football Club in the Coreen & District Football League in 1947.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "1937 - Neville Huggins photo". The Herald. 4 September 1937. p. 13. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "1940 - Goulburn Valley FA - Grand Final match review". Shepparton Advertiser. 9 September 1940. p. 5. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Trove Newspapers.
  3. ↑ "I Write of Sport". Shepparton Advertiser. Victoria. 3 November 1939. p. 10. Retrieved 22 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "1947 - South Corowa FC - Coach". The Corowa Free Press. 22 April 1947. p. 3 – via Trove Newspapers.
  • Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
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