Bernard James Neenan (25 September 1917 – 16 July 1970) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
VFL clubs first became aware of Neenan while he was playing as a ruckman for North Brunswick CYMS in the CYMS Football Association (CYMSFA), run by the Catholic Young Men's Society of Victoria. He won the competition Best and Fairest in 1938 and represented Victoria in the national CYMS Carnival in Adelaide that year."Gossip of Players and the Game", Sporting Globe, 14 May 1941, p. 10.
Recruited by Melbourne prior to the 1939 VFL season, Neenan was expected to make his debut that year"Melbourne Pleases", The Argus, 3 April 1939, p. 18. but spent all of 1939 and most of the 1940 VFL season in the reserves, until after "showing some great form in the Seconds","Melbourne's injured recover", The Age, 24 July 1940, p. 6. made his senior VFL debut for Melbourne in Round 14, 1940, against Footscray at the Western Oval but only played once more that year, and enlisted in the Australian Army on 19 August 1940.
After five more games in 1941, Neenan played one game for Melbourne in 1942 before transferring to South Melbourne mid-season, leading a local newspaper to enthuse that Neenan might be the solution to South's lack of ruckmen."Neenan may be ruckman the club is seeking", The Record (Emerald Hill), 8 August 1942, p. 3.
After one game for South Melbourne's reserves, Neenan was selected at centre half forward for South's league side for their Round 15 match against . Neenan impressed onlookers, with The Record stating that he "fully justified himself at centre half-forward, where he brought down some nice marks, and gave a lively display.""Neenan strengthens South's Second Ruck", The Record, 22 August 1942, p. 3.
Neenan played the next two games for South Melbourne; the Round 16 match against Melbourne and the Semi Final against Footscray, both of which South won, before being dropped for South's losing Preliminary Final against Essendon. Neenan's availability for South Melbourne in the 1943 VFL season was highlighted as an assetMillard, P.J. "South's First Run Tonight", The Herald, 29 March 1943, p. 8. but while he trained for South pre-season"South Football Training", The Sun News-Pictorial, 13 April 1943, p. 10."South Officials Pleased", The Argus, p. 9. Neenan was cut from South Melbourne's playing list in May."League Football", The Record, 8 May 1943, p. 3.
Following his discharge from the Army, Neenan joined Victorian Football Association (VFA) club Williamstown."Seconds all over Port Melbourne", Williamstown Chronicle, 29 September 1950, p. 5.
Personal life The eldest child of Stephen and Mary Neenan, Bernie had two brothers; Paul and Frank, and sister Marie."Family Notices", The Age, 23 May 1938, p. 1.
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External links
Bernie Neenan at Demonwiki