Bill Dempsey

Last updated

Bill Dempsey
MBE
Personal information
Full name William Brian Dempsey
Date of birth (1942-03-17) 17 March 1942 (age 80)
Place of birth Birdum, Northern Territory
Position(s) Ruckman, back pocket
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
1960–1976 West Perth 341 (89) [1]
1959-1969 Darwin (NTFL) 145
Representative team honours
YearsTeamGames (Goals)
1963–1973 Western Australia 14 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1976.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

William Brian Dempsey MBE (born 17 March 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Darwin Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) and the West Perth Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL). Dempsey is an inductee of both the AFL Northern Territory and the West Australian Football Halls of Fame. Dempsey's 341 premiership games for West Perth is second only to Mel Whinnen's 367 as a club and WAFL record.

Contents

Career

An indigenous Australian born in Birdum, a railway settlement in the Northern Territory of Australia, [2] Dempsey began his career with the Buffaloes Football Club [b] in the Northern Territory Football League. He played in premiership sides with the club in 1958–59 and 1959–60 [a] before being recruited by West Perth in the WANFL. [3] [4] Dempsey made his WANFL debut in 1960. Playing either as a ruckman or resting in defence – late in 1967 Bob Spargo used him successfully as a substitute for Brian France at centre half-back after the latter suffered a career-ending knee injury [5] – Dempsey became a regular in the West Perth side, winning the Breckler Medal as the club's best and fairest in 1966 and playing in premierships in 1969 and 1971. [6] During most summers, Dempsey returned to play in the NTFL, where he captained Darwin during the 1964–65 season and was a member of their unbeaten premiership side during the 1967–68 season; he played 145 games for Darwin. [4] Dempsey made his debut for Western Australia in an interstate match against Tasmania at Subiaco Oval in June 1963, and went on to play 14 matches for the state, including two matches at the 1972 Australian Championships. [7] Dempsey played 341 premiership games and two pre-season/night series games for West Perth before retiring at the end of the 1976 season. [4]

Dempsey was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in June 1976, for "services to sport", along with teammate Mel Whinnen. [8] In October 2000, he was named in a back pocket in West Perth's Team of the Century. [9] He was an inaugural inductee of the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in March 2004, [10] and in 2010, Dempsey was named as a "Legend" in the inaugural induction into the AFL Northern Territory Hall of Fame. [11] Dempsey was named as a back pocket in the Indigenous Team of the Century in 2005. [12] One of the entrance gates at Patersons Stadium is named after Dempsey, [13] and a stand at Arena Joondalup, West Perth's home ground since 1994, is named the Whinnen–Dempsey Stand in honour of the two players' contribution to the club. [14] Dempsey's grandson, Malcolm Rosas Jr, is an AFL player for the Gold Coast Suns. [15]

Notes

1 The Northern Territory Football League season is played during the wet season in the Northern Territory, which usually occurs between December and March. Hence, NTFL seasons are usually written to encompass two years e.g. the 1959–60 season refers to the season played between December 1959 and March 1960.
2 Buffaloes changed its name to the Darwin Football Club for the 1962–63 season, having previously been known as Warriors (1917–18) and Vesteys (1918–26).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marrara Oval</span>

Marrara Oval, currently branded TIO Stadium under a naming rights agreement, is a sports ground in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. The ground primarily hosts Australian rules football, cricket, and rugby league.

Michael "Magic" McLean is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club, Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Australian rules football in the Northern Territory

Australian Football in the Northern Territory is the most popular sport, particularly with indigenous Australian communities in Darwin, Alice Springs and the Tiwi Islands. It is governed by AFL Northern Territory.

Johnny Leonard Australian rules footballer and coach

John James Leonard was a player and coach of Australian rules football in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Victorian Football League in the period 1922 to 1946.

Barry Thomas Cable MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. Considered one of the greatest rovers in the sport's history, he played in 379 premiership games in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Victorian Football League (VFL), and later coached in both competitions.

Bernie Naylor Australian rules footballer

Bernard George Andrew Naylor was an Australian rules footballer who was one of the most successful full-forwards in the history of the West Australian Football League. The WAFL now awards the leading goalscorer each year the Bernie Naylor Medal

Terry Moriarty Australian rules footballer

Terrence Brian "Terry" Moriarty was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Perth Football Club in the West Australian National Football League (WANFL). Having won the club's fairest and best trophy in his first two seasons, Moriarty went on to play 253 games over a 15-season career, which remains a club record. He also played nine interstate matches for Western Australia. Having also served in the Australian Army during World War II, he was the winner of the 1943 Sandover Medal as the best player in the competition, and was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jim Conway (footballer) Australian rules footballer and coach

James Francis Conway was an Australian rules football player and coach. The winner of the 1950 Sandover Medal, Conway played 180 games for East Fremantle in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) between 1943 and 1956, also representing Western Australia in 15 interstate matches. In 1964, he was appointed coach of Claremont, a position which he held for five years, until 1968. He was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Gregory John Brehaut was an Australian rules football player and coach who played with the Perth Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Playing mainly as a wingman, he also represented Western Australia in 16 interstate matches, and later coached the East Perth Football Club between 1983 and 1986, before dying in 1993 at the age of 46 from a heart attack. Brehaut was posthumously inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Allan Melvyn "Mel" Whinnen MBE is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Perth Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) from 1960 to 1977. Whinnen played 367 premiership games for West Perth, a WAFL record, playing in four premiership sides and finishing runner-up in the Sandover Medal on two occasions, as well as winning West Perth's best and fairest award, the Breckler Medal, on a record nine occasions.

Ron Tucker Australian rules footballer

Ronald Douglas Tucker was an Australian rules footballer who played for Perth and Subiaco in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL). Playing in a number of positions, though primarily at centre half-forward, Tucker kicked a total of 803 goals in 215 WANFL games between 1940 and 1955, and 32 goals in 14 games for Western Australia in interstate matches. Tucker was named in Perth's Team of the Century in 1998, and was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Warren Campbell is a former Australian rules footballer for North Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL), South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and St Mary's in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL).

Wally Price Australian rules footballer

Walter John "Wally" Price is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Perth Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL). Born in Margaret River, Western Australia, Price played 256 games for the club between 1942 and 1954, mainly as a back pocket. Having played in premierships in 1942, 1949, and 1951, he also played 12 interstate matches for Western Australia, and was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jack McDiarmid Australian rules footballer

John Frederick Dawes McDiarmid was an Australian rules footballer who played for the West Perth and Claremont Football Clubs in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL). He was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Benedict John "Benny" Vigona is a former Australian rules footballer best known for playing for South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).

Abbey Holmes Australian rules footballer

Abbey Holmes is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She began playing football for the Waratah Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League in 2012 and won four consecutive premierships with the club, along with being the league's leading goalkicker the same four seasons. In 2014, she became the first woman to kick 100 goals in a season in an established football league, and in 2016 she was drafted in the inaugural AFL Women's draft by Adelaide.

Brian Leslie France is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Perth Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) between 1958 and 1967. He was inducted in to the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2007, and is a member of the West Perth Team of the Century.

The 2017/18 NTFL season was the 97th season of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL).

The 1993/94 NTFL season was the 73rd season of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL).

Malcolm Rosas Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

References

  1. ↑ These tallies refer to premiership matches (home-and-away and finals matches) only.
  2. ↑ West Australian Football Hall of Fame members – West Australian Football Commission. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Bill Dempsey LEGEND – (1958-1976) – AFLNT. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 Bill Dempsey (Darwin & West Perth) Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine – FullPointsFooty. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Kennedy, Tom; ‘West Impressive in a Form Recovery’; The Sunday Times , 13 August 1967, p. 80
  6. ↑ West Perth Football Club Medallists Archived 14 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine – West Perth Football Club (Inc). Retrieved from iinet.net.au, 3 February 2012.
  7. ↑ State games 1951–2010 – wafootball.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  8. ↑ Supplement to the London Gazette, 12 June 1976 – London Gazette . Published 12 June 1976. Retrieved from an online source, 3 February 2012.
  9. ↑ West Perth Official 'Team of the Century' Archived 11 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine – FullPointsFooty. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  10. ↑ Hall of Fame Inductees – wafootball.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  11. ↑ AFLNT Legends – aflnt.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  12. ↑ Team for the Ages: Indigenous Team of the Century – sportingpulse. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  13. ↑ Patersons Stadium history Archived 13 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine – wafootball.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  14. ↑ MEMBERS RESERVED SEATING Archived 21 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine – West Perth Football Club. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  15. ↑ Mal Rosas, grandson of WA great Bill Dempsey, to make debut for Gold Coast – thewest.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.