David Hart

DOB

3/3/1964

Height

176 cm

Weight

83 kg

Junior club

South Fremantle/Bruce Rock JFC

Arrived

Foundation signing in 1986

Number

36

Debut

Round 5 1987 vs Hawthorn
(29th Eagles player)

Games

184

Goals

95

Honours

Premiership medal (1994)
All-Australian (1994)\

B&F Top 10

1 (1994)

Best Finish

5th (1994)

Last app.

Round 18 1997 vs Fremantle

Departed

Retired at the end of the 1997 season

Other clubs

West Perth (WAFL) 1983
South Fremantle (WAFL) 1984-1997

“Jewf” Hart is best remembered as a nuggetty back pocket, but in the early years of West Coast’s existence he was a nuggetty rover.

West Coast career[]

Hailing from Bruce Rock, Hart was recruited late into the inaugural West Coast squad after showing his wares at South Fremantle. Jewf had to wait until round 5 to make his debut, but from that point on was a regular in the senior side. He finished the 1987 season with 17 games and 23 goals.

In 1988 he played 20 games, including the club’s first-ever final. His standout performance came early in the season when he picked up 28 touches and 4 goals against Brisbane. He added another 19 games the following season as he started his transformation into a defender.

A popular member of the team, Hart missed much of the early part of the 1990 season but returned mid-year to play 18 games, including the unsuccessful finals series. In 1991 he overcame some late-season injury issues to play in the grand final.

An unfortunate series of injuries in 1992 limited Hart to just 9 games for the year, and although he was able to play in an earlier final against Geelong he missed out on the club’s first premiership. His 1993 was similarly frustrating, playing just 8 games for the year although he was one of the better-performed players in the Eagles’ two finals.

In 1994 Hart finally caught a break, throwing his injury problems aside to play every game for the year and win selection in the back pocket in the All-Australian team. His absence two years earlier, along with good friend David Hynes, was a driving force for his teammates in the grand final against Geelong as he at last obtained a well-deserved premiership medal.

Hart continued to be an important part of the side into his early 30s, achieving life membership in 1995 and being named in the back pocket in West Coast’s Team of the Decade in 1996. After a frustrating 1997, in which he managed just 7 AFL games but played in South Fremantle's WAFL premiership, Hart announced his retirement.

Post-VFL/AFL career[]

In retirement Hart stayed involved with the club as a runner under former teammate John Worsfold, before moving to Queensland to pursue a coaching career.

Stats[]

AFL	Gm	G	B	K	M	H	D	T	WAFL	Gm	G
1987	17	23	12	203	59	63	266	14	SF	3	8
1988	20	17	20	255	55	62	317	17		0
1989	19	9	22	252	61	86	338	18		1	0
1990	18	14	7	213	44	98	311	25		6	8
1991	21	12	7	243	39	108	351	20		2	0
1992	9	2	2	99	16	28	127	9		6	1
1993	8	1	1	99	21	36	135	8		3	0
1994	25	9	8	298	71	118	416	24		0
1995	19	1	4	207	54	79	286	26		0
1996	21	6	2	220	57	87	307	29		0
1997	7	1	0	30	13	24	54	10		6	3
Tot	184	95	85	2119	490	789	2908	200
Avg		0.5		11.5	2.7	4.3	15.8	1.1