Colin Hounsell is a former Australian rules football

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 who played with the South Melbourne/Sydney

Sydney Swans

The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...

 Football Club in the 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...

 (VFL).

Hounsell came from Collingullie, a small town near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. He played mostly as a rover or centre. In 1976, his second season, he was involved in a clearance dispute with the Collingwood Football Club

Collingwood Football Club

The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

, who had been offered his services in the trade which saw Robert Dean

Robert Dean (footballer)

Robert Dean is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League during the 1970s....

 join South Melbourne. Hounsell however refused to sign with Collingwood and remained at South Melbourne, until 1979.

After the 1979 season, Hounsell made his way to the Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

 and played with NTFL

Northern Territory Football League

The Northern Territory Football League is an 8 team Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.The premier grade is the largest Australian rules football league in the Northern Territory...

 side Nightcliff

Nightcliff Football Club

The Nightcliff Football Club, nicknamed, Tigers, is a member club of the Northern Territory Football League, and is based in the Darwin suburb of Nightcliff.-History:The club was formed in 1950.It was formally known as Working & Housing....

. The competition came to an end early 1980 and he then signed a two year contract Woodville

Woodville Football Club

Woodville Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League from 1964 to 1990, when it merged with the West Torrens Football Club to form the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles....

 in the South Australian National Football League

South Australian National Football League

The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....

. He made 13 appearances for them before deciding to return to Melbourne during the 1981 season, on the request of his fiancee, despite the protests of Woodville.

He performed well for South Melbourne in 1981, averaging a career high 17 disposals a game. The following year he was on the move again, as South Melbourne relocated to Sydney. He played a further four seasons with the club.