{{Short description|Australian rules footballer and coach}} {{other people}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}} {{Infobox AFL biography | name = Harry Saunders | image = Harry Saunders 1923-1924.jpg | caption = Saunders during his Collignwood career | fullname = Henry George Saunders | birth_date = 21 May 1898 | birth_place = Portland, Victoria | death_date = {{death date and age|1930|12|9|1898|5|21|df=yes}} | death_place = East Melbourne, Victoria | originalteam = Collingwood Senior Cadets | debutdate = Round 4, 1916 | debutteam = Collingwood | debutopponent = Richmond | debutstadium = Victoria Park | height = 175 cm | weight = 76 kg | position = | statsend = 1926 | years1 = 1916–1926 | club1 = Collingwood | games_goals1 = 135 (10) | coachyears1 = 1926 | coachclub1 = Footscray | coachgames_wins1 = 10 (3–7–0) | careerhighlights = }}
'''Henry George 'Harry' Saunders''' (21 May 1898 – 9 December 1930)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harry-saunders/|title=Harry Saunders|publisher=Collingwood Forever|accessdate=21 September 2014}}</ref> was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and coached Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL).<ref>{{Ref AFL Encyc|10th|786}}</ref>
==Family== The son of Henry Saunders (1859-1921),<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1734206 Deaths: Saunders, ''The Argus'', (Thursday, 27 January 1921), p.1.]</ref> and Hannah Saunders (1863-1941), née Guiney,<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205146932 Deaths: Saunders, ''The Age'', (Wednesday, 7 May 1941), p.1.]</ref> Henry George Saunders was born at Portland, Victoria on 21 May 1898.
He married Millicent May "Mollie" Allen (1900-1963), later Mrs. Walter William James Crawford, in 1922.
==Education== He attended Christian Brothers' College, East Melbourne.
==Football== ===Collingwood (VFL)=== Saunders was recruited locally to Collingwood and went on to play 11 seasons with the club as a defender, mostly at full-back. He was a member of Collingwood premiership teams in 1917 and 1919 as well as playing in three losing Grand Finals. Saunders also represented the VFL at interstate football on three occasions.
====1922==== In 1922, following a game where he had knocked out Carlton's Alex Duncan, the VFL Tribunal suspended him for six matches.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205759521 Three Players Disqualified, ''The Age'', (Saturday, 5 August 1922), p.14.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45580229 Three League Players Disqualified in Victoria, ''The Barrier Miner'', (Thursday, 10 August 1922), p.3.]</ref> He was also charged by the police,<ref>'Kickero', [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243648645 "Dirty Work in Football: Police may take Action", ''The (Melbourne) Herald'', (Saturday, 5 August 1922), p.4.]</ref> found guilty in court, and fined £5, in default a month's imprisonment.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243774172 Footballer Punched: Player fined £5: J.P. Declines to Act, ''The (Melbourne) Herald'', (Friday, 1 September 1922), p.5.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1842044 Assault on Football Field: £5 Fine Inflicted, ''The Argus'', (Saturday, 2 September 1922), p.23.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166045128 Footballers in Court: Player fined £5 for Assault on Field, ''The Geelong Advertiser'', (Saturday, 2 September 1922), p.9.]</ref>
====1926==== After playing the opening two rounds of the 1926 season Saunders retired from playing.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243591484 'Kickero', "Time Beats All: Saunders Leaves Football", ''The (Melbourne) Herald'', (Wednesday, 19 May 1926), p.3.]</ref>
===Footscray (VFL)=== He was cleared to Footscray in mid-season 1926,<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3792250 H. Saunders (Collingwood) Cleared, ''The Argus'', (Wednesday, 30 June 1926), p17.]</ref> and coached them, as non-playing coach, in 10 games for three wins. South Melbourne's Paddy Scanlan was appointed as Footscray's captain-coach at the beginning of the 1927 season.
==Death== Saunders died on 9 December 1930 following an operation for pancreatitis, aged 32.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203282099 Deaths: Saunders, ''The Age'', (Wednesday, 10 December 1930), p.1.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242762323 Star Full Back: Late H. Saunders of Collingwood, ''The (Melbourne) Herald'', (Wednesday, 10 December 1930), p.3.]</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{AFL Tables|ref=H/Harry_Saunders.html}} * [https://afltables.com/afl/stats/coaches/Harry_Saunders.html Harry Saunders's coaching statistics], from AFL Tables. * {{AustralianFootball|ref=harry%2Bsaunders/3453}} * [https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harry-saunders/ Harry Saunders' profile] at Collingwood Forever
{{1917/19 Collingwood dual premiership players}} {{Western Bulldogs coaches}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Harry}} Category:1898 births Category:1930 deaths Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Category:Collingwood Football Club players Category:Collingwood Football Club premiership players Category:Western Bulldogs coaches Category:Deaths from pancreatitis Category:VFL/AFL premiership players