Met a family member of an old Saint champion

[oh when the]

Some info from WA Hall of Fame -
http://www.wafootballhalloffame.com.au/ ... orge-young

[Yorkeys]

Good one Loris. I went to WA to live in 1996 as well. Coincidence. Met George and Verdun Howell at WA Saints show once. Terrific gentlemen. Also remember how gracious and charming Stan Alves was after a (rare) win. Harvey side stepping Worsfold - marvellous that. Thanks for the reminder of such good times. Did you go to the 1997 final at that pub the Saint supporters booked. Had trouble driving home with the moisture in my eyes - not the Swan larger in ma belly.

[chico2001]

Just forget how good Young was but once you read his stats it all comes back...average nearly 3 goals a game...Thats very very good,

[robbie muir]

mcadam05 that is the 1972 Elimination Final video. George Young did not play in that game.

We played and beat Essendon in consecutive elimination finals ( 1972 & 1973)

George Young started with us in 1973 and his last year was 1978.

[saynta]

mcadam05 that is the 1972 Elimination Final video. George Young did not play in that game.

We played and beat Essendon in consecutive elimination finals ( 1972 & 1973)

George Young started with us in 1973 and his last year was 1978.

Yep only play 108 games in R W & B but oh, what games they were.

[avid]

George Young was an all time favourite Saint of mine. Top 5 I'd say : Baldock, Lawrence, Young, Muir, Winmar.
Some years I remember going just to see George Young and Robbie Muir play.
Calm, composed, supreme mark and kick, fair and self-contained.
(exact opp of the Mad Dog)

Thanks for the great post Loris!!

[Enrico_Misso]

Like many Saints fans from the 70s, George was my favourite player in that mid-seventies era when the 60s stars were fading and TB was yet to fully emerge.

Last year I half heard a news flash that George Young had died and was shocked and saddened.

When I realised it was the "Easybeats/Vanda" George Young I was quite relieved.
(Even though the musical GY was one of the most influential figures in Australian music; directly with the Easybeats and with Harry, and indirectly with ACDC and the countless songs he co-wrote for others).

[saynta]

George Young was an all time favourite Saint of mine. Top 5 I'd say : Baldock, Lawrence, Young, Muir, Winmar.
Some years I remember going just to see George Young and Robbie Muir play.
Calm, composed, supreme mark and kick, fair and self-contained.
(exact opp of the Mad Dog)

Thanks for the great post Loris!!

Now that's my kinda top 5. Add Big Carl for a top 6.

Gawd, we are lucky to have supported such great players.

[loris]

Oh and if some of you are like me. You buy the Football Record magazine at the ground and don’t read it until days later, which is what I’m doing now. On page 66 of last weekend’s magazine in the ‘Great Footy Moments’ section there is an article about George Young.

Saint George finds his niche

George Young was in his prime as an All-Australian when he joined St Kilda from Subiaco in a celebrated swap for Ross Smith in 1973.

It proved a win-win for both clubs as Young, a silky left-footer with a penchant for kicking goals, was expectional in his 108 games for the Saints to the end of 1978, and Smith, the 1967 Brownlow mediallist, coached Subiacoto the 1973 Premiership.

Young was initially tried as a wingman/half-forward and showed his class with a club record six goals when the Saints thrashed Essendon in the 1973 elimination final at Waverley Park.

However a bout of flu proved a godsend early in 1975 when he could not cover much ground and was moved to full-forward.
The move proved an instant success and Young topped the club’s goal kicking in four consecutive seasons - 1975 (53), 1976 (52)
1977 (58), 1978 (70).
The 1975 season also saw him finish runner-up to Jeff Sara in St Kilda’s best & fairest.

Young kicked several bags of goals, but none better than the 10 against Fitzroy in a losing side in round 12, 1978, at Moorabbin.
The match marked the return of Carl Ditterich after a brief retirement..................... Young’s performance - he had 29 disposals and took 14 marks - helped keep the Saints in the contest...............

Young played his first game with the Saints at 24 years and 63 days and his last (in round 21,1978) at 29 years and 204 days, finishing with a final goals tally of 284.

He returned home to WA and played one final game for Subiaco in 1979 before retiring.

Hi exploits in the West, including 10 appearances for WA, including the inaugural State of Origin match in 1977, saw him inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2013.