John James Kirby (1 July 1889 – 11 March 1939) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]
Kirby was a small forward and is the earliest known player to have kicked a goal with his first kick in the VFL, scored in 1911; this achievement would not be made again for nine years, when Gordon Coventry, an AFL Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame replicated the feat in 1920. Kirby had a good start to his career from a team point of view as well, not experiencing a loss until his 15th game. Kirby topped Essendon's goalkicking table in 1912, with 43 goals, and again the following season when he kicked 29 goals. He was a member of Essendon's premiership teams in 1911 and 1912.[2]
References
- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Bas Publishing. p. 484. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
- ^ "1912 Premiership". Essendon Football Club.
External links
- Jack Kirby's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Essendon past player profile
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