Tony Nesbit

Tony Nesbitt
Personal information
Full name Anthony David Nesbitt
Date of birth 26 April 1938
Date of death 6 May 1996(1996-05-06) (aged 58)
Place of death North Yunderup, Western Australia
Position(s) Ruck rover, back pocket
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1958–1970 Swan Districts[1] 233 (163)[2]
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1963–1965 Western Australia 8 (0)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1968 Swan Districts 21 (1–20–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1970.
Career highlights
  • Premiership player 1961, 1962, 1963
  • Swan Medal 1964
  • Swan Districts Team of the Century
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Anthony David "Tony" Nesbit (26 April 1938 – 6 May 1996[3][4]) was an Australian rules footballer who was highly successful in the West Australian National Football League (WANFL) playing for the Swan Districts Football Club. Originally playing in the seconds for Swan Districts, his long career began at the club in 1954 along with Keith Slater.

A lightly built player he started on the wing but developed later into a ruck rover. In his debut season in the league competition, 1958, Nesbit won the "Rookie of the Year" award.[5] After having been the chopping block of Western Australian football between 1946 and 1960, Swan Districts entered a period of unprecedented success during the early sixties, which Nesbit was a part of. Nesbit played in the back pocket of all three premiership sides, and was co-captain of Swan Districts in 1965 and 1966.

In 1968 Nesbitt was appointed as captain/coach of the side but Swan Districts’ 1968 season was so bad that the team won only one game after the siren against East Fremantle - the closest any senior WAFL team between 1918 and 1998 came to a winless season. As a result, Nesbit was replaced by Bill Walker. Nesbit retired in 1970 after playing 235 games for the club; he was made a life member. He was selected as a ruck rover in the Swan Districts Team of the Century.

  1. ^ "Swan Districts Football Club – Playertracker – Tony Nesbitt". 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
  2. ^ "Premiership Players 1931 - 2009". West Australian Football Commission.
  3. ^ "Tributes Flow in for Nesbit". Westside Football (14): 7. 16 May 1996.
  4. ^ "MCB Summary Of Record Information".
  5. ^ "Swan Districts Football Club – History". 2007. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2007.