George Ernest Rudolph (29 April 1901 – 1 April 1967) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s.
Family The son of Frank Rudolph and Eliza Rudolph, née Barrett, George Ernest Rudolph was born in Steiglitz, Victoria on 29 April 1901.
He married Edna Mary Maud White (1904–) on 14 April 1928.G. Rudolph Weds, The Herald, (Saturday, 14 April 1928), p. 5.
Football Said to be an idol of Richmond great Jack Dyer,Hogan (1996), p. 200; Hardy (2013), p. 36. Rudolph was a follower, who played originally with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), but was also used in key positions.
Hawthorn (VFA) Having played with Camberwell Districts (1917), and with the East Burwood Football Club in 1918 and 1919, he was recruited by the VFA club Hawthorn. He played his first match on 10 July 1920Hawthorn's Improved Form, The Argus (Monday, 12 July 1920), p. 4. and played a total of 13 games, scoring seven goals in two seasons.VFA Project.
Richmond (VFL) Granted a permit in May 1922, by Hawthorn to play with Richmond,Association Football, The Herald, (Friday, 19 May 1922), p. 4. Rudolph only played three matches with the Richmond First XVIII before he left to play country football.
St. James On leaving Richmond, he played with the St. James Football Club in the Benalla-Yarrawonga Line Football Association for the remainder of the 1922 season.St. James (9.13) Beat Rovers (6.9), The Benalla Standard, (Tuesday, 8 August 1922) p. 3.
Lang Lang In 1923, he played with the Lang Lang Football Club, coached by Harry Harker, in the Berwick District Football Association.
Richmond (VFL) He returned to Richmond in 1924.Football: Final Selections: Richmond, (Wednesday, 23 April 1924), p. 14."Jumbo" Sharland, "Football Colt", The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 16 July 1924), p. 1.
On 2 May 1925, he was one of the Richmond team that played against his old club, Hawthorn, in its first-ever VFL match (, and were admitted to the VFL competition in 1925 season).The Teams, The Age, (Friday, 1 May 1925), p. 8.
A Victorian interstate representative, he appeared in seven finals over the course of his career, including the 1927 VFL Grand Final and 1928 Grand Final. Rudolph played both premiership deciders from centre half-forward but Richmond didn't win either.
Oakleigh (VFA) In 1929, two new teams, Oakleigh and Sandringham, were admitted to the Victorian Football Association (VFA) competition.
Along with Geelong's Eric Fleming, St Kilda's Wal Gunnyon, Essendon's Frank Maher and Chris Gomez, and Richmond's Fred Goding, Rudolph went to the Oakleigh in 1929 without a clearance from the VFL (in doing so, all of them were automatically disqualified from the VFL for three years).Victorian League Exodus: Players Join Up With The Association, The Referee, (Wednesday, 24 April 1929), p. 13.Victorian Football Teams: No.13—Oakleigh, The Australasian, (Saturday, 27 July 1929) p. 76. However, another ex-Essendon player, Vince Irwin, who also went to Oakleigh in 1929, did receive a clearance from South Bendigo Football Club, with whom he had played in the Bendigo Football League (BFL) in 1927 and 1928.Additional Permits, The Age, (Friday, 19 April 1928), p. 6.
Rudolph was a member of Oakleigh's inaugural VFA premiership teams in 1930 and 1931, as a centre half-back in the latter.
Coburg (VFA) In 1932, Oakleigh appointed ex-Collingwood footballer Harry Chesswas as its captain-coach;Football, The Argus, (Friday, 29 January 1932), p. 10. and, in 1933, in promoting Eric Fleming to the position of the team's captain-coach, the club also informed Rudolph that "should he desire a clearance to any other club it would be granted on his application".Football, The Argus, (Tuesday, 31 January 1933), p. 13.
Oakleigh cleared Rudolph cleared to Coburg in March 1933.Association: Coburg, The Argus, (Wednesday, 22 March 1933), p. 15; Association: Rudolph at Coburg, The Age, (Friday, 24 March 1933), p. 15. He played in 24 games as centre half-back that season, including the ferocious Grand Final—eight players, including Rudolph, were reported for 14 different offencesRough Football: Eight Players Charged in Association Final, The Argus, (Monday, 9 October 1933), p. 9.The tribunal dismissed the charge against Rudolph (Tribunal, The Age, (Saturday, 4 November 1933), p. 18).—in which Coburg lost to Northcote, 9.16 (70) to 11.21 (87).Northcote Win Third Association Premiership By Defeating Coburg, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 7 October 1933), p. 2.
Rudolph was appointed captain-coach of Coburg in 1934.Rudolph Will Coach Coburg, The Argus, (Thursday, 22 February 1934), p. 11.Association Permits: Rudolph Reregistered, The Argus, (Thursday, 31 May 1934), p. 14.
New Town (TFL) In 1936, he moved to Tasmania,Former Champion George Rudolph Cleared, The (Launceston) Examiner, (Friday, 8 May 1936), p. 5; V.F.A. Permits: Rudolph Cleared, The Age, (Thursday, 21 May 1936), p. 12. and played with the New Town Football Club in the Tasmanian Football League (TFL).
In his last match (against North Hobart on 19 August 1939), he was reported, found guilty of the charge, and suspended for one week. Without Rudolph in its team, New Town lost the 16 August 1939 elimination final match to Lefroy, 8.10 (58) to 9.11 (65).Lefroy Wins Right To Contest Semi-Final With Cananore: New Town Eliminated After Gallant Struggle, The (Hobart) Voice, (Saturday, 26 August 1939), p.2.
Due to his enlistment in the Second AIF in June 1940, he was no longer available for selection at New Town. In 1940 he was the coach of various AIF teams in Tasmania.Football, The Mercury, (Saturday, 20 July 1940), p. 12; Members of AIF Football Combination, The Mercury, (Monday, 22 July 1940) p. 7.
Reports and suspensions According to Hogan (1996, p. 200), Rudolph was "a fiery player [who] came under the notice of umpires on several occasions receiving a total of 61 weeks in suspensions in his career". 1925 (Richmond): charged with striking St Kilda's Frank Scully on 18 July 1925. The charge was dismissed. 1925 (Richmond): charged with striking St Kilda's John Lord on 18 July 1925. Rudolph was found guilty and was suspended for 6 matches.Rough Play Inquiry: "Belted Into Submission", The Argus, (Friday, 24 July 1925), p. 5; Richmond-St. KIlda Match: Rudolph (Richmond) Out for Season, The Age, (Friday, 24 July 1925), p. 7. 1926 (Richmond): charged with having used obscene language to Carlton's Jim Watson on 3 July 1926. Rudolph was found guilty and was suspended for two matches.Unseemly Football, The Geelong Advertiser, (Friday, 9 July 1926), p. 6; Two Players Disqualified, The Argus, (Friday, 9 July 1926), p. 5; The League Tribunal, The Age, (Friday, 9 July 1926), p. 7; League Tribunal Sits: Rudolph Punished, The Age, (Friday, 16 July 1926), p. 7; Richmond Player Disqualified, The Argus, (Friday, 16 July 1926), p. 4. 1927 (Richmond): charged with kicking Fitzroy's George Gordon on 9 July 1927. The charge was dismissed.Rough Football: Richmond-Fitzroy Match: Rudolph Exonerated, The Argus, (Friday, 15 July 1927), p. 16; League Football Tribunal: Rudolph (Richmond) Discharged, The Age, (Friday, 15 July 1927), p. 11. 1928 (Richmond): charged with unseemly conduct in having thrown the football at Geelong's Eric Fleming on 1 September 1928. The charge was dismissed.League Tribunal: Rudolph (Richmond) Discharged, The Age, (Friday, 7 September 1928), p. 8; Football: Charge Unsustained: Rudolph Exonerated, The Argus, (Friday, 7 September 1928), p. 16. 1930 (Oakleigh): charged with tripping Coburg's Hugh DonnellyHugh Donnelly, The VFA Project. on 21 June 1930.Five Players Reported, The Age, (Monday, 23 June 1930), p. 6. The charge was dismissed.Association Tribunal, The Age, (Saturday, 28 June 1930), p. 17. 1933 (Coburg): charged with striking Williamstown's Cairo Dixon on 6 May 1939. Although sustaining the charge, the Tribunal acknowledged that Rudolph had been provoked and decided that, under the circumstances, "[although] a penalty of two weeks suspension would be recorded, … it would be suspended subject to no charge being brought against him and proved within a period of two years".Williamstown Player Suspended, The Age, (Thursday, 11 May 1933), p. 5. 1933 (Coburg): Eight players were charged with sixteen offences committed during the fiery 1933 VFA Grand Final in which Coburg 9.16 (70) and Northcote Football Club on 7 October 1933.Both Captains reported: Eight Players to Answer Charges, The Age, (Monday 9 October 1933), p. 6. Rudolph was charged with four offences (the tribunal noted that, in the course of the match, "Rudolph had received great provocation"): kicking Northcote's captain-coach Percy Rowe in the second quarter (Rowe was charged with striking Rudolph in the second quarter). The charge against Rudolph was not sustained (Rowe was suspended for one week). striking Northcote's Eddie M. Bray in the last quarter (Bray was charged with striking Rudolph in the last quarter). Rudolph was found guilty, and suspended for one week. (Bray, who was also reported for striking the Coburg captain-coach, Greg Stockdale, was found guilty of both offences and suspended for a total of six weeks). striking Northcote's Tommy Corrigan in the last quarter (Corrigan was charged with striking Rudolph in the last quarter). Rudolph was found guilty, and suspended for one week. striking Northcote's Ralph Goullet in the last quarter. Rudolph was found guilty, and suspended for one week. 1934 (Coburg): charged with kicking Preston's Robert W. Cameron in the third quarter of the 1934 VFA Preliminary Final match on 22 September 1934.Charge Against Rudolph, The Argus, (Monday, 24 September 1934), p. 14. Rudolph was found guilty and was suspended until July 1936.Rudolph Disqualified: Out Until July, 1936, The Argus, (Thursday, 27 September 1934), p.7."After consulting the case for nearly an hour, the tribunal informed Rudolph it had found him guilty. The chairman said it had taken the tribunal no time to find Rudolph guilty. There had been no case in the tribunal's experience where the evidence had been so clear and where the evidence of all the umpires had been so definite and in agreement. What had troubled the tribunal was the matter of penalty. Probably there was no greater offence in football than deliberate kicking. No extenuating circumstances had been put forward on Rudolph's behalf. The tribunal considered that the penalty should be severe, and that Rudolph should stand down until 31st July, 1936." (G. Rudolph Suspended, The Age, (Thursday, 27 September 1934), p.4). 1936 (New Town): charged with elbowing Lefroy's W. Humphreys on 18 July 1936.Player Reported: Alleged Elbowing, The Mercury, Monday, 20 July 1936), p. 12. Rudolph was found guilty and was suspended for four matches.Rudolph Stood Down: Appeal to be Lodged by New Town, The Mercury, (Friday, 24 July 1935), p. 14. On 27 July 1936 an appeal was lodged against the verdict.Rudolph Appeal: Committee Declines to Reopen Case: Decision Stands, The Mercury, (Thursday, 30 July 1935), p. 7. The appeal was subsequently rejected.Rudolph Appeal: Referred to Investigation Committee, The Mercury, (Tuesday, 28 July 1935), p. 11. 1939 (New Town): charged with striking North Hobart's Raymond Percival Carr on 19 August 1939.Players Reported, The Mercury, (Monday, 21 August 1939), p. 12. Rudolph was found guilty and was suspended for one match.Rudolph Down for One Match, The Mercury, (Thursday, 24 August 1939), p. 13.
Cricket He played in six matches with the Fitzroy Cricket Club's First XI in the District Cricket Competition in between 1932 and 1935. "George was also a fine fast bowler [for Fitzroy] … [who] scored 21 runs with a highest score of 12 and took 6 wickets".Hogan (1996), p. 200.
Military service