Alex Denney

Alexander David Denney (24 June 1926 – 26 April 2004) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2]

Alex Denney
Personal information
Full name Alexander David Denney
Date of birth (1926-06-24)24 June 1926
Place of birth Wycheproof, Victoria
Date of death 26 April 2004(2004-04-26) (aged 77)
Original team(s) Wycheproof / Caulfield Grammar[1]
Height 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 75 kg (165 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1947–1948 Collingwood 35 (2)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1948.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Powley Denney (1893–1964),[3] and Nellie Violet Denney (1894–1947), née Glover,[4] Alexander David Denney was born in Wycheproof, Victoria on 24 June 1926.

In 1949 he married Betty Lois Coventry, the daughter of Gordon Coventry.[5]

Education

He was educated at Wycheproof State School (No.1757),[6] and then, having won a major residential scholarship,[7] he attended Caulfield Grammar School, as a boarder, from 1939 to 1942,[8] where he distinguished himself not only as a student — he was dux of his class in 1939[9] — but also as a footballer,[10] and as a cricketer,[11] and, especially, an outstanding athlete.[12][13][14]

At the school's October 1942 Annual Sports, Denney won the Open 100 yards, 220 yards, and 440 yards races, the 120 yards hurdles, and the long jump.[15] The Australasian's schools' correspondent declared Denney to be "an all-round runner of great promise",[16] in a report to which was appended a photograph of Denney rounding the last bend (in front of the school's tennis courts) of either the 220 or 440 yards races.[17]

Later that same month, when competing for the school in the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria Combined Sports on 23 October 1942, he broke the (23 years') record for the Open 100 yards (he won by four yards, in 10 3⁄10 secs),[18] came second on the Open 220 yards, and won the Open 440 yards.[19]

Military service

He served with the RAAF during the Second World War.[20] During that time, he played football, in Sydney, along with his future brother-in-law, George Coventry, for the RAAF.[21]

Football

Wycheproof Football Club (TFL)

In 1946, Alex Denney was voted the best and fairest player for the Wycheproof Football Club in the Tyrrell Football League.[22]

Collingwood (VFL)

Recruited from Wycheproof in 1947, Denney played in his first senior VFL match, against South Melbourne, on 10 May 1947, on the wing, as a replacement for the injured Des Fothergill.[23]

At the end of the 1947, "Clubman", the Weekly Times football correspondent rated ex-Wycheproof Denney the second-best of all of the first-year "former country players" in that year's VFL Competition: the best was the ex-Echuca Melbourne player, Eddie Jackson, and the third-best was the ex-Granya Footscray player, Norm Webb.[24]

After his first four games (two on the wing and two on the half-forward flank), he was transferred to the half-back flank, where he played for almost all of the rest of his career,[25][26] including the 1948 Semi-Final (against Footscray),[27] and the 1948 Preliminary Final (against Melbourne), his last VFL game, where he was one of Collingwood's best players, although in a losing team.[28][29]

Wycheproof Football Club (TFL/NCFL)

In April 1949, Collingwood cleared Denney to back to Wycheproof.[30]

Having won the TFL premiership in 1951,[31] and with ex-Collingwood Hugh Coventry (Denney's wife's cousin) as its captain-coach, the Wycheproof Football Club transferred from the Tyrrell Football League to the North Central Football League (NCFL) in 1952.[32]

Denney was not only the vice-captain of the Wycheproof team that won the 1952 NCFL premiership, defeating the Donald Football Club 15.17 (107) to 4.9 (33),[33][34] but was also the league's best and fairest player that year.[35]

He was still playing in 1955.[36][37]

Notes
  1. "School star excels". The Argus. Melbourne. 12 May 1947. p. 12. Retrieved 2 November 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. Holmesby & Main (2014), p.222.
  3. Deaths: Denney, The Age, (Friday, 31 July 1964), p.23.
  4. Deaths: Denney, The Argus, (Tuesday, 23 December 1947), p.11.
  5. Engagements: Coventry—Denney, The Argus, (Monday, 24 May 1948), p.7.
  6. "Wycheproof State School 1757: School Groups in 1934", and "Wycheproof State School 1757: School Groups in 1938", at wycheschools.webs.com.
  7. Scholarship Awards from State Schools, The Herald, (Wednesday, 30 November 1938), p.10.
  8. Webber (1981), p.289.
  9. Caulfield Grammar, The Age, (13 December 1939), p.9.
  10. Assoc. Grammar Schools, The Australasian, (Saturday, 19 July 1941), p.39.
  11. Associated Grammar Schools: Brighton v. Caulfield, The Argus, (Saturday, 6 March 1941), p.12.
  12. Wilkinson (1997), pp.112, 115, 117, and 118.
  13. His brother, Powley Samuel Denney (1930–1987), also attended Caulfield Grammar (from 1943 to 1946: Webber (1981), p.289), and was also an exceptional schoolboy athlete (Wilkinson (1997), pp.120, 124-126).
  14. Caulfield Grammar Events: School Tryouts: Under 14, The Herald, (Saturday, 21 October 1939), p.20.
  15. Caulfield G.S. Sports, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 10 October 1942), p.3; School Sports, The Age, (Monday, 12 October 1942), p.4.
  16. Caulfield Grammar", The Australasian, (Saturday, 24 October 1942), p.28.
  17. A. Denny (Caulfield), who won 6 events, The Australasian, (Saturday, 24 October 1942), p.27.
  18. See photograph at: Combined Sports of Associated Grammar Schools: Finish of 100 Yards Open Championship, The Australasian, (Saturday, 31 October 1942), p.17.
  19. Boy Athlete Breaks 19 Year Old Record, The Herald, (Friday, 23 October 1942), p.3; School Sports, The Argus, (Saturday, 24 October 1942), p.9.
  20. World War Two Nominal Roll: Aircraftman 2 Alexander David Denney (450637), Department of Veterans' Affairs.
  21. Four Aust. Rules Teams out for Second Win, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 12 May 1945), p.9, Airmen's Recovery in Aust. Rules, The (Sydney) Sun, (Sunday, 3 June 1945), p.19, etc.
  22. Football: Tyrell (sic) Trophies, The Age, (Wednesday, 23 October 1946), p.9.
  23. School Star Excels, The Argus, (Monday, 12 May 1947), p.12.
  24. 'Clubman', "Echuca Lad is Best of his Year in City Games", The Weekly Times, (Wednesday, 3 September 1947), p.54.
  25. For example, Goal for Essendon, The Age, (Monday, 2 May 1948), p.8.
  26. On 23 August 1947, he played in the centre, replacing the injured Bill Twomey (Collingwood Make Two Surprise Changes, The Argus, Friday, 22 August 1947), p.21). He kicked one goal in the match (Details of Six VFL Games, The Argus, (Monday, 25 August 1947), p.17).
  27. Ready for Semi-Final, The Herald, (Wednesday, 8 September 1948), p.8.
  28. Beames, Percy, "Melbourne Improves Title prospects, The Age, (Monday, 27 September 1948), p.8.
  29. Reynolds, Dick, "Collingwood Annihilated in League Final", The Argus, (Monday, 27 September 1948), p.23.
  30. Beames, Percy, "Fitzroy Full Back Injured in Accident", The Age, (Wednesday, 27 April 1949), p.18.
  31. Tyrrell League "Double", The Argus, (Friday, 21 September 1951), p.15.
  32. Tyrrell Battle Closes, The Argus, (Friday, 25 April 1952), p.7.
  33. Country Football, The Age, (Monday, 15 September 1952), p.13.
  34. Leading Country Football Teams, The Weekly Times, (Wednesday, 22 October 1952), p.41.
  35. Wycheproof History: Ted Sands presents Alec Denney with the 1952 B & F (Photograph), at flickr.com.
  36. Wycheproof Knocks Carlton from the Four, The Argus, (Monday, 22 August 1955), p.7.
  37. The Wycheproof Team, The Argus, (Friday, 26 August 1955), p.24.

References
  • Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  • Webber, Horace (1981). Years May Pass On... Caulfield Grammar School, 1881–1981. Centenary Committee, Caulfield Grammar School, (East St Kilda). ISBN 0-9594242-0-2.
  • Wilkinson, Ian R. (1997). The Fields At Play – 115 years of sport at Caulfield Grammar School 1881–1996. Playright Publishing. ISBN 0-949853-60-7.
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