Alf Dear

Alfred Ernest Dear (30 September 1878 – 29 August 1906) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

Alf Dear
Personal information
Full name Alfred Ernest Dear
Date of birth (1878-09-30)30 September 1878
Place of birth Batesford, Victoria
Date of death 29 August 1906(1906-08-29) (aged 27)
Place of death Hawthorn, Victoria
Original team(s) Newtown
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1898–1899 Geelong 22 (3)
1900 Essendon 06 (1)
Total 28 (4)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1900.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of John Dear (1846-1897), and Mary Dear, née Connolly,[2] Alfred Ernest Dear was born on 30 September 1878. He died on 29 August 1906. His younger brother, Joseph Henry Dear, drowned in 1907, aged 12 years.[3]

Collingwood full-forward Peter McKenna was his grand nephew.[4]

Education

He was educated at Geelong College.

Football

Geelong (VFL)

He played 22 games for Geelong over two seasons.

Essendon (VFL)

Granted a transfer from Geelong to Essendon on 16 May 1900,[5] he first played for Essendon in the round 5 match against Carlton on 26 May 1900.

In all, he played 6 games for Essendon.

In his last match, the round 10 match against Fitzroy at the Brunswick Street Oval on 7 July 1900,[6] he was kicked in the chest in the third quarter of the match.[4]

He never played again: "Alf Dear remained invalided from the injuries sustained in that game against Fitzroy and in 1906 he died at home in the darkened room he rarely left, his older brother Patrick by his side."[4]

Footnotes
  1. Holmesby & Main (2014), p.218.
  2. New Insolvents, The Argus, (Tuesday, 8 July 1902), p.5.
  3. Deaths: Dear, The Argus, (Wednesday, 13 March 1907), p.1.
  4. Donegan (2015).
  5. Football, The Argus, (Thursday, 17 May 1900), p.9.
  6. A Magnificent Struggle, The Argus, (Monday, 9 July 1900, p.9; A Hot Game, The Sportsman, (Tuesday, 10 July 1900), p.6; Football Notes: Another Spirited Encounter, The Australasian, (Saturday, 14 July 1900), p.21.

References
  • Donegan, J., "Footy History: The tragic tale of Alf Dear", The Footy Almanac, 20 May 2015.
  • Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  • Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
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