Herb Henderson
Encyclopedia
Herb Henderson is a former Australian rules football
er who was recruited by Footscray Football Club (now Western Bulldogs
), in the Victorian Football League, now AFL
from Mildura Imperials for the 1950 season. That year, he could get no higher than second reserve, but the following year he established himself firmly, and was one of a number of new players who drove Footscray from tenth to fourth on the ladder.
He was regarded as perhaps the finest full-back of his time, with a reputation for keeping the best full-forward
s, including champion John Coleman to low scores. Coleman never managed more than four goals in five contests with him. Henderson was fairly tall at 187 cm (6 feet 2 inches) but slightly built for a key position player. Nonetheless he had the acceleration to beat any full-forward over a short distance.
His unique understanding with back-pocket Wally Donald
made for an almost impassable backline, which conceded only 959 points in 1953 - the lowest since the beginning of 12-club competition in 1925. In the following two year's Footscray's defence was almost as good. Despite finishing out of the Final Four by 0.6 percent in 1955, Footscray still had the best defence of any team, conceding fifteen fewer points than top team Melbourne
.
He was Footscray's full-back in the 1954 premiership team
and retired in 1958 after 130 games. He is arguably the best among the 22 players who have played 100 or more VFL/AFL games without kicking a goal. He was named full-back in the Western Bulldogs
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 who was recruited by Footscray Football Club (now Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
), in the Victorian Football League, now AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
from Mildura Imperials for the 1950 season. That year, he could get no higher than second reserve, but the following year he established himself firmly, and was one of a number of new players who drove Footscray from tenth to fourth on the ladder.
He was regarded as perhaps the finest full-back of his time, with a reputation for keeping the best full-forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
s, including champion John Coleman to low scores. Coleman never managed more than four goals in five contests with him. Henderson was fairly tall at 187 cm (6 feet 2 inches) but slightly built for a key position player. Nonetheless he had the acceleration to beat any full-forward over a short distance.
His unique understanding with back-pocket Wally Donald
Wally Donald
Wally Donald was recruited by Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League, now Australian Football League, in 1946 from Braybrook. He played only one senior game that year, but from 1947 to 1957 he was a fixture in the Footscray team...
made for an almost impassable backline, which conceded only 959 points in 1953 - the lowest since the beginning of 12-club competition in 1925. In the following two year's Footscray's defence was almost as good. Despite finishing out of the Final Four by 0.6 percent in 1955, Footscray still had the best defence of any team, conceding fifteen fewer points than top team Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
.
He was Footscray's full-back in the 1954 premiership team
1954 VFL Grand Final
The 1954 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Footscray Football Club and Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 1954. It was the 58th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
and retired in 1958 after 130 games. He is arguably the best among the 22 players who have played 100 or more VFL/AFL games without kicking a goal. He was named full-back in the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
Team of the Century
Team of the Century
Team of the Century and Team of the Decade are terms used in team sport to name a hypothetical best team over a given time period.For the century team, it can be either 100 years, or for a century...
.