Harry Saunders
{{Short description|Australian rules footballer and coach}}
{{other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Harry Saunders
| image = Harry Saunders 1923-1924.jpg
| caption = Saunders during his Collignwood career
| fullname = Henry George Saunders
| birth_date = 21 May 1898
| birth_place = Portland, Victoria
| death_date = {{death date and age|1930|12|9|1898|5|21|df=yes}}
| death_place = East Melbourne, Victoria
| originalteam = Collingwood Senior Cadets
| debutdate = Round 4, 1916
| debutteam = Collingwood
| debutopponent = Richmond
| debutstadium = Victoria Park
| height = 175 cm
| weight = 76 kg
| position =
| statsend = 1926
| years1 = 1916–1926
| club1 = Collingwood
| games_goals1 = 135 (10)
| coachyears1 = 1926
| coachclub1 = Footscray
| coachgames_wins1 = 10 (3–7–0)
| careerhighlights =
}}
Henry George 'Harry' Saunders (21 May 1898 – 9 December 1930){{cite web|url=https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harry-saunders/|title=Harry Saunders|publisher=Collingwood Forever|accessdate=21 September 2014}} was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and coached Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL).{{Ref AFL Encyc|10th|786}}
Family
The son of Henry Saunders (1859-1921),[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1734206 Deaths: Saunders, The Argus, (Thursday, 27 January 1921), p.1.] and Hannah Saunders (1863-1941), née Guiney,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205146932 Deaths: Saunders, The Age, (Wednesday, 7 May 1941), p.1.] Henry George Saunders was born at Portland, Victoria on 21 May 1898.
He married Millicent May "Mollie" Allen (1900-1963), later Mrs. Walter William James Crawford, in 1922.
Education
He attended Christian Brothers' College, East Melbourne.
Football
=Collingwood (VFL)=
Saunders was recruited locally to Collingwood and went on to play 11 seasons with the club as a defender, mostly at full-back. He was a member of Collingwood premiership teams in 1917 and 1919 as well as playing in three losing Grand Finals. Saunders also represented the VFL at interstate football on three occasions.
==1922==
In 1922, following a game where he had knocked out Carlton's Alex Duncan, the VFL Tribunal suspended him for six matches.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205759521 Three Players Disqualified, The Age, (Saturday, 5 August 1922), p.14.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45580229 Three League Players Disqualified in Victoria, The Barrier Miner, (Thursday, 10 August 1922), p.3.] He was also charged by the police,'Kickero', [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243648645 "Dirty Work in Football: Police may take Action", The (Melbourne) Herald, (Saturday, 5 August 1922), p.4.] found guilty in court, and fined £5, in default a month's imprisonment.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243774172 Footballer Punched: Player fined £5: J.P. Declines to Act, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Friday, 1 September 1922), p.5.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1842044 Assault on Football Field: £5 Fine Inflicted, The Argus, (Saturday, 2 September 1922), p.23.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166045128 Footballers in Court: Player fined £5 for Assault on Field, The Geelong Advertiser, (Saturday, 2 September 1922), p.9.]
==1926==
After playing the opening two rounds of the 1926 season Saunders retired from playing.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243591484 'Kickero', "Time Beats All: Saunders Leaves Football", The (Melbourne) Herald, (Wednesday, 19 May 1926), p.3.]
=Footscray (VFL)=
He was cleared to Footscray in mid-season 1926,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3792250 H. Saunders (Collingwood) Cleared, The Argus, (Wednesday, 30 June 1926), p17.] and coached them, as non-playing coach, in 10 games for three wins. South Melbourne's Paddy Scanlan was appointed as Footscray's captain-coach at the beginning of the 1927 season.
Death
Saunders died on 9 December 1930 following an operation for pancreatitis, aged 32.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203282099 Deaths: Saunders, The Age, (Wednesday, 10 December 1930), p.1.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242762323 Star Full Back: Late H. Saunders of Collingwood, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Wednesday, 10 December 1930), p.3.]
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{AFL Tables|ref=H/Harry_Saunders.html}}
- [https://afltables.com/afl/stats/coaches/Harry_Saunders.html Harry Saunders's coaching statistics], from AFL Tables.
- {{AustralianFootball|ref=harry%2Bsaunders/3453}}
- [https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harry-saunders/ Harry Saunders' profile] at Collingwood Forever
{{1917/19 Collingwood dual premiership players}}
{{Western Bulldogs coaches}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Harry}}
Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
Category:Collingwood Football Club players
Category:Collingwood Football Club premiership players
Category:Western Bulldogs coaches