George Cassidy (Australian footballer)

{{short description|Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = George Cassidy

| image = George Cassidy (before 1931).jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| fullname = George Boucher Cassidy

| birth_date = {{birth date|1905|08|19|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{death date and age|1985|1|12|1905|08|19|df=yes}}

| death_place =

| originalteam = Caulfield Grammarians Football Club

| height =

| weight =

| position =

| statsend = 1931

| years1 = 1929–31

| club1 = {{AFL Mel}}

| games_goals1 = 13 (5)

| careerhighlights =

}}

George Boucher Cassidy (19 August 1905 – 12 January 1985){{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/players/player/George%2BCassidy/5022|title=George Cassidy - Player Bio|publisher=Australian Football|accessdate=20 December 2014}} was a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 |last=Holmesby|first=Russell|last2=Main|first2=Jim |year=2009 |edition=8th |isbn=978-1-921496-00-4 |publisher=BAS Publishing |location=Seaford, Victoria |page=133}}

He attended Caulfield Grammar School,Webber (1981), p.285. and was recruited by Melbourne from the Caulfield Grammarians Football Club.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205023464/18872892 Club Chatter: Melbourne, The Age, (Friday, 28 June 1929), p.6]. In 1928, playing for Caulfield Grammarians, he was declared to be the best and fairest player in the Victorian Amateur Football Association's A Grade competition:[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204121170 Metropolitan Amateurs: Presentation of Trophies, The Age, (Tuesday, 18 September 1928), p.14];[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3955141 G. Cassidy, The Argus, (Friday, 7 September 1928), p.16, col.C].

"as a ruck and half-forward … G. Cassidy, of Old Caulfield Grammarians … has been a mainstay of that team all the season through".[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3953479 Metropolitan Amateurs: Best and Fairest Players, The Argus, (Friday, 31 August, 1928].

Towards the end of the 1928 season he played two games for the Brighton First XVIII in the Victorian Football Association: the first against Port Melbourne in the final home-and-away game for the season on Saturday, 18 August 1928,[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3939617/464671 Brighton Outclassed,The Argus, (Monday, 20 August 1928), p.7]; and the second in the season's second semi-final (Brighton lost to Coburg by three points). In 1929 he was, again, playing for Caulfield Grammarians (who had been relegated to B Grade), and was selected to play for the Victorian Amateur Football Association team against the South Australian Amateur Football Association.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/183986180 Amateurs Play Interstate Match, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 1 June 1929), p.6].

He played his first match for the Melbourne First XVIII against Essendon in round 9 (Saturday, 29 June 1929) of the 1929 season: he kicked two goals.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4017211 Club Notes: Melbourne, The Argus, (Friday, 28 June 1929), p.15]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4017212/471218 The Teams: Essendon v. Melbourne, The Argus, (Friday, 28 June 1929), p.15]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204104680 Exciting Second Half, The Age, (Monday, 1 July 1929), p6].

He was a member of the Melbourne Second XVIII—playing at centre half-forward he kicked the first goal of the match—that won the 1931 premiership, beating Geelong Seconds by 8 points.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204336865 League Second Eighteens: Melbourne Wins Premiership, The Age, (Monday, 12 October 1931), p.15]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/182547531/20683098 Melbourne Get Honors, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 10 October 1931, p.3].