John Somerville (Australian rules footballer)
| John Somerville | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 8 December 1939 | ||
| Date of death | 12 November 1984 (aged 44) | ||
| Original team(s) | Moe (LVFL) | ||
| Debut | 21 May 1960, Essendon vs. Carlton, at Windy Hill |
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| Height / weight | 188 cm / 79 kg | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1960–1967 | Essendon | 106 (96) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1967.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
John Somerville (8 December 1939 — 12 November 1984) was an Australian rules footballer who played 106 senior games for the Essendon Football Club from 1960 to 1967.
Recruited from Moe Football Club, he played his first match for the Essendon senior team in Round 5 of the 1960 season, against Carlton, at Essendon's home ground, Windy Hill.
He played on the half-forward flank, kicking 96 goals in his 106 game career.
He played in the 1962 Essendon premiership team that beat Carlton 13.12 (90) to 8.10 (58).
Within the first 10 minutes of the 1965 Preliminary Final between Essendon and Collingwood Somerville was knocked unconscious by his opponent, the Collingwood half-back flanker Duncan Wright.
At the time, Wright and Somerville were some 90 metres behind the play and were isolated by some 30 metres from all other players, and were much closer to the boundary than they were to the central goal-to-goal line.
Somerville was so badly injured that he was taken off the field on a stretcher and was taken to hospital immediately. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was unable to play in the following week's Grand Final.
Essendon, backed by a now polarised crowd, went on to beat Collingwood 14.21 (105) to 6.6 (42).
There was a public outcry; and the press was outraged:
"Collingwood should give an immediate open clearance to the player responsible for this despicable action. It is a blot on our great game and to the greatest club in the VFL." Former Collingwood champion rover Thorold Merrett, commentating on ABV 2.
"Saturday's brutal and cowardly assault on Essendon's John Somerville points out the crying need for stewards in Australian football. There can be no doubt in the minds of any of the 95,386 people at Saturday's game, or in the minds of the umpires, just who was responsible for the attack on Somerville." Mike Throssell, football writer for The Australian.
The police (including the homicide squad) made some preliminary enquiries. The match officials, the field umpire Ron Brophy, the two boundary umpires, and the two goal umpires all claim to have seen nothing.
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