Bernie Neenan

Bernie Neenan
Personal information
Full name Bernard James Neenan
Born (1917-09-25)25 September 1917
Prahran East, Victoria
Died 16 July 1970(1970-07-16) (aged 52)
Richmond, Victoria
Original team North Brunswick CYMS (CYMSFA)
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1940–1942 Melbourne 8 (11)
1942 South Melbourne 3 (2)
Total 11 (13)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1942.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Bernard James Neenan (25 September 1917 – 16 July 1970)[1] was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2]

VFL clubs first became aware of Neenan while he was playing as a ruckman for North Brunswick CYMS in the CYMS Football Association (CYMSFA), run by the Catholic Young Men's Society of Victoria. He won the competition Best and Fairest in 1938 and represented Victoria in the national CYMS Carnival in Adelaide that year.[3]

Recruited by Melbourne prior to the 1939 VFL season, Neenan was expected to make his debut that year[4] but spent all of 1939 and most of the 1940 VFL season in the reserves, until after "showing some great form in the Seconds",[5] made his senior VFL debut for Melbourne in Round 14, 1940, against Footscray at the Western Oval[6] but only played once more that year, and enlisted in the Australian Army on 19 August 1940.[7]

After five more games in 1941, Neenan played one game for Melbourne in 1942 before transferring to South Melbourne mid-season, leading a local newspaper to enthuse that Neenan might be the solution to South's lack of ruckmen.[8]

After one game for South Melbourne's reserves, Neenan was selected at centre half forward for South's league side for their Round 15 match against North Melbourne. Neenan impressed onlookers, with The Record stating that he "fully justified himself at centre half-forward, where he brought down some nice marks, and gave a lively display."[9]

Neenan played the next two games for South Melbourne; the Round 16 match against Melbourne and the Semi Final against Footscray, both of which South won, before being dropped for South's losing Preliminary Final against Essendon. Neenan's availability for South Melbourne in the 1943 VFL season was highlighted as an asset[10] but while he trained for South pre-season[11][12] Neenan was cut from South Melbourne's playing list in May.[13]

Following his discharge from the Army, Neenan joined Victorian Football Association (VFA) club Williamstown.[14]

Personal life

The eldest child of Stephen and Mary Neenan, Bernie had two brothers; Paul and Frank, and sister Marie.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ "Bernie Neenan - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  2. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2009). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (8th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 613. ISBN 978-1-921496-00-4.
  3. ^ "Gossip of Players and the Game", Sporting Globe, 14 May 1941, p. 10.
  4. ^ "Melbourne Pleases", The Argus, 3 April 1939, p. 18.
  5. ^ "Melbourne's injured recover", The Age, 24 July 1940, p. 6.
  6. ^ "Round: 14 Venue: Western Oval Date: Sat, 27-Jul-1940 2:30 PM Attendance: 12000". AFL Tables. AFL Tables. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  7. ^ "World War II Roll: Bernard James Neenan". Department of Veterans Affairs.
  8. ^ "Neenan may be ruckman the club is seeking", The Record (Emerald Hill), 8 August 1942, p. 3.
  9. ^ "Neenan strengthens South's Second Ruck", The Record, 22 August 1942, p. 3.
  10. ^ Millard, P.J. "South's First Run Tonight", The Herald, 29 March 1943, p. 8.
  11. ^ "South Football Training", The Sun News-Pictorial, 13 April 1943, p. 10.
  12. ^ "South Officials Pleased", The Argus, p. 9.
  13. ^ "League Football", The Record, 8 May 1943, p. 3.
  14. ^ "Seconds all over Port Melbourne", Williamstown Chronicle, 29 September 1950, p. 5.
  15. ^ "Family Notices", The Age, 23 May 1938, p. 1.
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