Fred Fitzgibbon was an 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 for Carlton

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...

 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...

 during the 1940s.

Fitzgibbon spent his early career at Victorian Football Association

Victorian Football League

The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...

 (VFA) club Brunswick

Brunswick Football Club

Brunswick Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA from 1897 until 1990. They were originally nicknamed the Pottery Workers before being renamed the Magpies and were based in Brunswick, Victoria. The club wore black and white guernseys...

 but when the VFA suspended the competition in 1942 due to the war

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...

, he decided to switch leagues and joined Carlton.

Used mainly as a wingman, Fitzgibbon became one of Carlton's most physically aggressive players which at times saw him front the tribunal. The most notable suspensions came in the 1945 finals series and began with a four-match suspension for king-hitting Collingwood

Collingwood Football Club

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

 forward Len Hustler in the Preliminary Final which meant he had to watch that year's premiership from the stands.

The Grand Final

1945 VFL Grand Final

The 1945 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the South Melbourne Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at Princes Park in Melbourne on 29 September 1945. It was the 49th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...

 was marred by many instances of violence and when teammate Jim Mooring

Jim Mooring

Jim Mooring was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .-External links:* -References:* at...

 was flattened, Fitzgibbon jumped the fence in his street clothes and jumped on South's Ted Whitfield

Ted Whitfield

Edward Carlyle "Ted" Whitfield was a former Australian rules footballer, playing with South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League ....

; the two players exchanged blows before police ejected him from the ground. Fitzgibbon was suspended for an additional four matches.

He played every game in the 1947 season, including Carlton's one point win over Essendon

Essendon Football Club

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

 in the 1947 VFL Grand Final

1947 VFL Grand Final

The 1947 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 27 September 1947. It was the 51st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...

to ensure the 1945 suspension wouldn't cost him the chance of playing in a premiership.