Brighton Diggins
Encyclopedia
Brighton Diggins was a former Australian rules football
er in the West Australian Football League
and Victorian Football League
.
Diggins began his senior football career at the Subiaco Football Club
in the West Australian Football League in 1927. A key position player and ruckman, Diggins was a strong mark and a fast runner, and by 1930, he was considered to be the finest key position player in Australia. He played with Subiaco from 1927 to 1931, and played 88 matches for the Lions.
In 1932, during the Great Depression
, Diggins moved to Victoria to play for the South Melbourne Football Club
in the VFL
. Diggins was one of several Subiaco players who joined South Melbourne in the early 1930s, including Johnny Leonard
(who was coaching), Bill Faul
and John Bowe
. The influx of players from interstate became known as South Melbourne's "Foreign Legion
", and helped South's on-field performance significantly. Diggins won one premiership with South Melbourne in 1933
, and played there until 1937.
In 1938, Diggins moved to the Carlton Football Club
, taking on a leadership role as captain-coach, in which he flourished. In his first season at Carlton, he led the team to the premiership
. He played two more seasons with Carlton, his last game coming in 1940 with the onset of World War II
.
Diggins was named as the centre half back in the Subiaco Team of the Century.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er in the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
and Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
.
Diggins began his senior football career at the Subiaco Football Club
Subiaco Football Club
The Subiaco Football Club, nicknamed the Lions, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . It was founded in 1896, and admitted to the WAFL in 1901, along with North Fremantle...
in the West Australian Football League in 1927. A key position player and ruckman, Diggins was a strong mark and a fast runner, and by 1930, he was considered to be the finest key position player in Australia. He played with Subiaco from 1927 to 1931, and played 88 matches for the Lions.
In 1932, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Diggins moved to Victoria to play for the South Melbourne Football Club
South Melbourne Football Club
South Melbourne Football Club can refer to:*Sydney Swans, an Australian rules football club formerly known as the South Melbourne Football Club until 1982...
in the VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. Diggins was one of several Subiaco players who joined South Melbourne in the early 1930s, including Johnny Leonard
Johnny Leonard
John "Johnny" Leonard was a player and coach of Australian rules football in the West Australian Football League and the Victorian Football League in the period 1922 to 1946....
(who was coaching), Bill Faul
Bill Faul
Bill Faul was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League ....
and John Bowe
John Bowe (footballer)
John Bowe was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the VFL. He played on the wing in the club's 1933 Grand Final win over Richmond.-External links:...
. The influx of players from interstate became known as South Melbourne's "Foreign Legion
Foreign legion
Foreign legion or Foreign Legion is a title which has been used by a small number of military units composed of foreign volunteers.It usually refers to the French Foreign Legion, part of the French Army established in 1831.It can also refer to:...
", and helped South's on-field performance significantly. Diggins won one premiership with South Melbourne in 1933
1933 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1933.-Premiership season:In 1933, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man...
, and played there until 1937.
In 1938, Diggins moved to the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
, taking on a leadership role as captain-coach, in which he flourished. In his first season at Carlton, he led the team to the premiership
1938 VFL Grand Final
The 1938 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1938. It was the 42nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
. He played two more seasons with Carlton, his last game coming in 1940 with the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Diggins was named as the centre half back in the Subiaco Team of the Century.