William Eason (2 February 1882 – 6 December 1957) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong Football Club. He was the brother of Geelong great Alec Eason.[3]

Bill Eason
Cigarette card of Eason in 1908
Personal information
Full name William Eason
Date of birth 2 February 1882
Place of birth Liverpool, England[1]
Date of death 6 December 1957(1957-12-06) (aged 75)[2]
Place of death Wendouree, Victoria
Original team(s) Barwon
Debut Round 1, 1902, Geelong vs. Carlton, at Princes Park
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 79 kg (174 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1902–1915 Geelong 220 (187)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1912–1913 Geelong 37 (21–16–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1915.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Eason migrated from Liverpool in England to Geelong in 1883 with his family aboard the steam ship Duke of Buckingham.[1]

A centreman, Eason will forever hold a place in the Geelong record books as being their first footballer to play 200 VFL games. Bill was also an outstanding cricketer in the Geelong Cricket Association taking 547 wickets at 10.7 from 1902-1931. He is buried at the East Geelong Cemetery in a family plot that is marked with his younger brother's headstone who died of injuries sustained in a football match at the Corio Oval aged in his early twenties.[4]

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References

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  1. ^ a b Geelong Cats: Remembering the famous Eason brothers by Danny Lannen for the Geelong Advertiser 1 November 2015
  2. ^ "Deceased Register". Geelong Cemeteries Trust.
  3. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Bas Publishing. p. 250. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  4. ^ "FATAL FOOTBALL ACCIDENT". The Argus. Victoria, Australia. 5 September 1899. p. 6.