RAWLE, Keith

Keith Rawle was a fine second rover to Bill Hutchison after coming from North Essendon Methodists. He was clever and a good position player.

He was an emergency in the 1942 premiership team and then was in the forward pocket in the 1946 and 1949 premiership sides. In his six seasons, he played in five Grand Finals, winning two premierships. If he had made the 1942 team, rather than only being an emergency, he would have added another flag to his impressive career.

Rawle was runner-up in Essendon's Best and Fairest award in 1947 and was selected in the State side in 1949. He also won the Best Utility Player award in 1943 and the Most Unselfish Player award in 1946 and 1948.

His career was interrupted by service in New Guinea with the RAAF during the war and he missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons.

Rawle was captain-coach of Redan from 1950 to 1958, and in 1951 he won the award for Best and Fairest in the Ballarat League. He also won the premiership in 1952. He later coached Daylesford in 1960 and 1961.

As well as being a fine footballer, he also played cricket for Victoria.

Curiously, his junior school, Aberfeldie State School, produced four future team-mates: Jack Keddie, Harold Lambert, Dick Bryar and Allan Randall.

His father, George, was a star Essendon player in the 1920s.

He retired in 1984 from his job as a sales representative for television station SEQ8.

Keith Rawle died on 6th March, 2005, after a brief battle with cancer.