George Dougherty

Australian rules footballer, born 1913

Australian rules footballer

George Dougherty
Personal information
Full name	George Mervyn Dougherty
Date of birth	(1913-12-09)9 December 1913
Place of birth	Beulah, Victoria
Date of death	21 November 1991(1991-11-21) (aged 77)
Place of death	Geelong, Victoria
Original team(s)	Beulah
Height	191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	93 kg (205 lb)
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1934–1936	Carlton	017 0(15)
1936–1941	Geelong	098 (158)
1942–1943	Footscray	025 0(30)
1944–1945	Geelong	023 0(30)
1945 –	South Melbourne	010 0(26)
Total		173 (259)
¹ Playing statistics correct to the end of 1945.
Career highlights
Geelong premiership player - 1937
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

George Mervyn Dougherty (9 December 1913 – 21 November 1991) was an Australian rules footballer who played for four clubs in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1934 to 1945.

Family

The son of Cahir Dougherty (1878-1958), and Helen Mary "Nellie" Dougherty (1885-1951), née Smeaton, George Mervyn Dougherty was born at Beulah, Victoria on 9 December 1913.

His brother, Noel Dougherty (1916-), tried out with Carlton (in 1933),^[1] Fitzroy (in 1935),^[2] and Geelong (in 1937),^[3]^[4] and another brother, Lyle Dougherty (1926-2015), tried out with South Melbourne (in 1950).^[5]

He married Verlie Norma Clifford (1921-1991) in 1941.^[6]

Football

Carlton (VFL)

A ruckman who also played up forward, recruited from the Beulah Football Club in the Southern Mallee Football League, Dougherty started his VFL career with Carlton Football Club.^[7]

Geelong (VFL)

After two and a half seasons with Carlton, he transferred to Geelong (in exchange for Bill Kuhlken, who went to Carlton) where he would play his best football. Dougherty was a key member of Geelong's 1937 premiership winning side, kicking 38 goals for the year and was the starting ruckman in their Grand Final win over Collingwood. In 1940 he polled well in the Brownlow Medal, finishing equal seventh.

Footscray (VFL)

Dougherty moved to Footscray in 1942, when Geelong were unable to compete in the 1942 and 1943 VFL competitions, due to wartime restrictions on travel.

Geelong (VFL)

He returned to Geelong in 1944, when the team resumesd its place in the VFL competition, due to the earlier travel restrictions being relaxed.

South Melbourne (VFL)

Dougherty spent a year at South Melbourne in the 1945 season,^[8] before retiring due to the broken ankle he sustained when playing against Hawthorn in the last home-and-away match of the 1945 season.

Death

He died at Geelong, Victoria, on 21 November 1991.^[9]

Notes

^ Carlton, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 1 April 1933), p.4.
^ Fitzroy, The Age, (Wednesday, 20 March 1935), p.9.
^ Teams Prepare, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 27 March 1937), p.72.
^ League Seconds' Permits, The Argus, (Wednesday, 12 May 1937), p.15.
^ Another Dougherty for South: Brother of Former Goalkicker: Hails from Beulah, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 25 February 1950), p.1.
^ Flashes from the Football Fields, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 1 June 1940), p.6.
^ This is the Right Way, The (Launceston) Saturday Evening Express, (Saturday, 21 April 1934), p.16.
^ How South's Secretary secured Dougherty: Signed up behind Wood-Heap, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 16 June 1945), p.3.
^ findagrave.com.