Doug Wade

Doug Wade

Personal information
Birth	16 October 1941 (1941-10-16) (age 70), Horsham, Victoria
Recruited from	Horsham
Height and weight	188 cm / 102 kg
Playing career¹
Team(s)	Geelong (1961-1972) 208 games, 834 goals North Melbourne (1973-1975) 59 games, 223 goals Total - 267 games, 1057 goals
¹ Statistics to end of 1975 season
Career highlights
Coleman Medal winner 1962, 1967, 1969, 1974 Geelong premiership 1963 North Melbourne premiership 1975 Geelong Best & Fairest 1969 Geelong leading goalkicker 1961-1964, 1966-1972 North Melbourne leading goalkicker 1973-1975 Geelong Team of the Century Victorian representative (7 games, 31 goals).

Douglas Graeme Wade (born 16 October 1941) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club.

Having trained as a hairdresser (as had Rene Kink), and after trying out with the Melbourne Football Club in a number of practice games in 1960, he returned home to Horsham before being lured back by the Geelong Football Club. He made his VFL debut in 1961 with Geelong, recruited from Horsham. He was the League's leading goal scorer (winning the Coleman Medal) on four occasions from 1962 until 1974.

Wade was involved in one of the most memorable umpiring decisions in VFL history.In 1962 Geelong were trailing Carlton by 5 points in the preliminary final when the ball came down to Doug Wade and Carlton full-back Peter Barry. Wade had kicked six goals and when he outmaneuvered Barry to mark 25 metres out in front, he looked certain to make it seven. More than 90,000 supporters waited for Wade to take his kick- but suddenly they noticed something was wrong. Wade was standing there stunned, shaking his head in frustration and Barry was going back to take a free kick. Down went Barry's kick-and with it Geelong's Grand Final chance. After the game Carlton players said umpire Irving had penalized Wade, who was in front, for holding on to Barry's shorts! Wade said: "All I did was to keep my eyes on the ball and maneuvered for position. The only possible way he could have penalized me was for sticking out my posterior as I went to mark." Percy Beames wrote in The Age: "Wade was extremely unlucky. Nine times out of ten these incidents are overlooked." Former umpire Allen Nash said at the time:"It was the most courageous decision I've ever seen by an umpire."

Wade holds a record for one of the biggest (VFL) scoring quarters by an individual, when he kicked 7 goals in the last quarter against Collingwood at Arden Street in 1974. Up until the last quarter Wade had been kept virtually quite, by Doug Gott of Collingwood, despite North Melbourne's high goal scoring record against the Magpies at the 3rd quarter. The interesting crowd scenes at Arden street that day, was the movement of the North supporters, who moved to the social club end of the ground for the last quarter, in anticipation of a goal onslaught by North Melbourne. This proved to be more prophetic, as Wade kick seven goals and North Melbourne's total of 25 goals broke a club record against Collingwood at the time.Wade earlier in season made another late rush, to goal on the siren against Collingwood at VFL park in 1974, and his ability to win matches late proved to be why Wade was a champion footballer; and that he could not be underestimated.

Wade was a member of the Geelong side which won the VFL Premiership in 1963, and a Grand Final player in 1967. Later in his career, he moved to North Melbourne, and was a key member of their side which contested the Grand Final against Richmond in 1974. Wade kicked 103 goals in that season, becoming the third former Geelong player to head the VFL goal-kicking table after transferring to another club.

In the final minutes of a match against South Melbourne late in 1970, Wade had a shot at goal to put Geelong in front. A spectator threw an apple on the field, which collided with the football in mid-air as it headed towards the goal, and knocked the football off its flight path and went through for a behind. South Melbourne won the game by 7 points and made it into the finals for the first time since 1945, while Geelong fell to fifth and missed the finals (In Round 22, they lost to North Melbourne, who were last on the ladder, and had Geelong won against South Melbourne they could have also made it into the finals). The result was allowed to stand, since there was no rule at the time to account for this kind of situation. South Melbourne went on to lose to St. Kilda in the Semi Final.

The following year (1975) Wade struggled to find form largely due to fitness and weight. Near the end of the home and away season, Wade was becoming a liability because of his dwindling goal scores. However,on the Thursday before the Grand Final Wade pleaded with coach Ron Barassi and the selection committee to be selected into the side. Based on Wade's finals experience and the Wade's offer or tactic to stay behind the pack to crumb goals, Wade convinced selectors to name him in the side instead of Robert Smith, who was a top reserves full-forward: who was fit and ready to take his place. However, in the 1975 Grand Final, Wade's experience proved to be essential part of North's huge win over Hawthorn. The tactic of staying behind the pack worked and Wade scored a few goals doing this. He even missed an easy shot as the pack of players missed the ball and an open goal was for the taking. Wade's miss was a shock to the crowd and himself. However, his inspirational gestures to the North Melbourne forwards can be seen in the 1975 Grand final,especially the last quarter, when he hurriedly and unselfishly passes the ball to team mates. Wade finished his career on a high note, (another Premiership) where many experts could not have predicted, proving that Wade was true champion player for both Geelong and North Melbourne.

In 1996 Wade was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

References

• Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 132. ISBN 0-7322-6426-X. 
• AFL: Hall of Fame
• Full Points Footy Bio

Sporting positions
Preceded by Bill Goggin	Geelong Football Club captain 1972	Succeeded by Geoff Ainsworth

Persondata
Name	Wade, Doug
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	16 October 1941
Place of birth	Horsham, Victoria
Date of death
Place of death