John Elward
1935–2024 (age 89)
Biography
John William Elward (6 April 1935 – 7 October 2024) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Hawthorn managed to recruit Elward just before clearances closed for 1957. He came from the regional town of Alexandra. Alexandra played in the Waranga North East Football League at the time. Tall enough to be a ruckman, John Elward played 16 senior games over three seasons between 1958 and 1960. He never managed to secure a senior position because he was injury prone. He was ruckman for the club's reserve grade side that won back to back premierships in 1958 and 1959.
Elward broken his leg in the last game of the reserves season in 1960, he re-broke his leg after playing ten minutes in his first reserve grade game in 1961.