ICON – Player Inductee
New Norfolk/Hawthorn/Glenorchy
> Over 320 games and 2038 goals in all
> 129 games, 727 goals, Hawthorn, 1967-74 and 1977
> 75 games, 344 goals, New Norfolk, 1963-66
> 75 games, 518 goals, Glenorchy, 1975-76, 1978-79 and 1981
> Leading goalkicker, New Norfolk, 1963-66
> Leading goalkicker, Glenorchy 1975-76 and 1978-79
> Leading goalkicker, TFL, 1963-66, 1975-76 and 1978-79
> Leading goalkicker, Hawthorn, 1967-71 and 1977
> Leading goalkicker, VFL, 1967-68, 1970-71 and 1977
> Hawthorn premiership, 1971
> Glenorchy premiership, 1975
> New Norfolk best and fairest, 1965
> Hawthorn best and fairest, 1968 and 1970
> Glenorchy best and fairest, 1976, 1978 and 1979
> William Leitch Medal for TFL best and fairest, 1978 and 1979
> Represented Victoria six times and Tasmania 19 times
> All Australian, 1966 (New Norfolk) and 1969 (Hawthorn)
> ‘Legend’ of Australian Football
> Named at full forward in Tasmania, Hawthorn, Glenorchy and New Norfolk ‘Teams of the Century
Born 19 February 1946, Peter Hudson is statistically the most prolific full forward in the history of the game and can also lay strong claims to having been the best. All told, Hudson played a total of 289 senior games for New Norfolk, Hawthorn and Glenorchy between 1963 and 1981, netting 1,721 goals at an average of 5.95 goals per game. He also kicked a further 317 goals in other games such as interstate matches for Tasmania and Victoria, intrastate football for the TFL, night games, state and Australian championship matches, and so forth, for an Australian record career total of 2,038 senior goals.
The key to Hudson’s success was an indefatigable desire to gain possession of the football, which he did repeatedly by virtue of his strength, vigorous, pacy leading, and excellent handling and marking skills. Topping this off, he was a meticulously accurate kick for goal, albeit relying almost exclusively on an old-fashioned tumble punt that would have scored no points whatsoever for ‘artistic merit’, and which seemed outmoded even in Hudson’s era. Not that ‘artistic merit’ ever contributed measurably to a premiership, of course.
Hudson’s goalkicking feats were curtailed by injury in the years 1972-74 when he was only able to play four games. Together with Bob Pratt, Hudson holds the record for most number of goals kicked (150) in the VFL/AFL. He also retains the record for most goals kicked in a season in Tasmania with 191 in 1978. Is it any wonder that Huddo stands between the big sticks in the New Norfolk, Glenorchy, Hawthorn and Tasmania ‘Teams of the Century’? An official ‘Legend’ of Australian football, Peter Hudson’s exploits have never been seen before in Australian football and are unlikely to be seen again. He is without doubt the goalkicking genius of Australian football in the Twentieth Century.
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