George Doig - East Fremantle FC

George Doig is truly one of the greatest champions our game has ever seen. Doig commenced his league football career as a 19 year old full forward for the East Fremantle Football Club. No player had previously kicked 100 goals in a WAFL season. George Doig became the fist when he kicked 106 goals in his first season in 1933. He then proceeded to pass the 100 goal mark every year for 9 successive seasons. His total in the 1941 season of 141 goals suggests that had the Second World War not precluded him from playing in 1942, 1943 & 1944, his run of successive centuries may well have reached the dozen.

His year by year goal tallies were:

1933………106
1934………152
1935………113
1936………108
1937………144
1938………101
1939………108
1940………109
1941………141

For those 9 seasons his goal tally was 1082, for a season average of just over 120. He rejoined East Fremantle for part of the 1945 season following the cessation of the War, however he only played a further 8 games, including the winning Grand Final, and he added a further 21 goals to his tally for a career total of 1103 goals.

Doig played 202 games for East Fremantle, and when he retired following the 1945 premiership success he had achieved a remarkable career average of 5.46 goals per game.

In 2002 at the age of 89, Doig was payed the ultimate tribute by Australia’s footballing fraternity by being inducted into to the AFL Hall of Fame.

Following is a tribute to the great man by young 13 year old Daniel Sweetman, who although did not get to see Doig in action for East Fremantle, is a testimony to Doig that he continues to capture the imagination of a new legion of Sharks supporters.

THE CHAMP – by Daniel Sweetman 13yrs

He kicked 106 goals in his very first year
The were whispers in the crowd, "the champ is here"
George Doig is part of the East Fremantle crew
He used to kick a few, actually 9 on his debut
In the bar after a hard fought win, I heard an old man say with a grin,
"The champ is here".

They called him the Bradman of footy but that doesn’t compute
Because Bradman didn’t win a game off his very own boot
He walked into a room one day
No one had to say, the champ is here

There was a chap from over East named Bobby Pratt, kicked 150 goals at
least in one year
150, you think that’s a few, George beat him by 2
Then everyone knew, the champ is here

Then came the start of the war
For George Doig there was no more
On Saturday we’ll all clap and cheer
And say at 89

THE CHAMP IS STILL HERE.