Arthur Olliver

Career

In seven seasons as captain-coach Olliver got the Bulldogs into the finals three times, and saw them narrowly miss out twice. One of Footscray"s longest serving players, Olliver played 272 VFL games and kicked 354 goals for the club He played 272 games and scored 354 goals.

Olliver was appointed captain-coach of New Norfolk in Tasmania, where he stayed for three years.

Olliver’s last involvement in top level football was as non-playing coach of West Perth Football Club in the WANFL between 1960 and 1963. In 2003 Olliver was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

He has also been inducted into the Footscray/Western Bulldogs Hall of Fame and was named on the interchange in their Team of the Century.

Achievements

• A champion Footscray ruckman over 16 years with the club, Olliver held the games’ record for the Bulldogs prior to Ted Whitten. In 1951 he won his club’s best and fairest award, and captain-coached the Tasmanian state team In his first season, the Cardinals won their first WANFL premiership for nine seasons, but they were not able to keep up this form, finishing fifth, third and fifth in an eight-club competition for his final three seasons.