Stan Heal

Stanley "Pops" Heal (30 July 1920 – 15 December 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) as well as West Perth in the West Australian National Football League (WANFL) during the 1940s and early 1950s.

Stan Heal
Personal information
Full name	Stanley Heal
Nickname(s)	Pops
Date of birth	30 July 1920
Place of birth	West Leederville, Western Australia
Date of death	15 December 2010(2010-12-15) (aged 90)
Place of death	Nedlands, Western Australia
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb)
Position(s)	Wing, rover
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1939–1953	West Perth	180
1941	Melbourne	008 (5)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
1946–1951	Western Australia	18
Coaching career
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1947–1952	West Perth	133 (95–38–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1953.
Career highlights
Three premierships for West Perth One premiership for Melbourne Two premierships in one season: 1941 Six successive finals series as coach of West Perth
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Heal played his best football as a wingman but was also used on occasions as a rover. The Western Australian spent just one season at Melbourne, who had acquired his services while he was temporarily stationed in Victoria. Despite playing just eight games he was a member of Melbourne's 1941 premiership team. The following week he played in another premiership, back home in Western Australia with West Perth.[1]

He was also regular interstate representative for Western Australia, winning a Simpson Medal for his performance in a game against South Australia in 1949 and captaining his state at the 1950 Brisbane Carnival.[2]

As coach of West Perth from 1947 to 1952 he steered his club to two premierships, in 1949 and 1951.

From 1953 to 1965 he was a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, representing the seat of West Perth until 1962 and Perth thereafter.[3]

Heal was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2010.[4] He died on 15 December 2010.[5]