Peter Hudson

Peter John Hudson AM (born 19 February 1946) is a former Australian rules football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history.
Hudson was prolific in his goal scoring in all senior competitions in which he competed. Originally from Tasmania, Hudson played with New Norfolk Football Club, in the Tasmanian Football League kicking 378 goals in 78 games. He then played 129 games with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (now the Australian Football League). During this time he kicked 727 goals. Following his Hawthorn days he returned to Tasmania, playing a further 81 games for Glenorchy Football Club during which he kicked an amazing 616 goals. Some records state he actually kicked 769 goals for Glenorchy Football Club (the inaccuracy stems from the TANFL including goals scored in Intrastate and Interstate matches involving the TANFL and Tasmania as part of TANFL records at the time).
Over his career he kicked 1,874 goals in senior matches spanning the period of 1963 to his final match in the 1981 TANFL Preliminary Final for Glenorchy, where Hudson, who had made a brief comeback with two rounds remaining booted 30 goals in three matches (including 6 in his team's Preliminary Final loss to New Norfolk).
His tally increases to 2,191 when night series and representative games are included, averaging over 7 goals a game over his entire career. Hudson was kept goalless just four times during his senior career, by Richmond's Barry Richardson Round 7 1969, Collingwood's Ian Cooper Round 2 1974, Carlton's Rod Austin Round 14 1977 and Bruce Greenhill of TFL club Sandy Bay in 1978.
Hudson's ability to win the ball was hard to pinpoint. There were times he seemed to gain possession of the ball ever so quietly and with consistent, nonchalant ease his tally of goals for the game would gradually climb. Among his armoury of skills, he seemed to have the ability to quietly sneak away from the opposition attendant full-back. Before the frustrated backman knew it, Hudson had taken a nice comfortable mark on his chest for a simple goal.

In a Victorian Football League career beginning with the Hawthorn Football Club in 1967, he kicked 727 goals at an average of 5.64 a game.

Hudson won the Coleman Medal for the League's leading goal kicker four times in his career: in 1968 (125 goals); 1970 (146); 1971 (150); and 1977 (110). He also became the first player to kick 100 goals in a VFL season five times (the other year he exceeded 100 goals being 1969 when he kicked 120, but did not win the Coleman).

In 1971 he equalled Bob Pratt's record of 150 goals in a season after kicking three goals in Hawthorn's winning Grand Final side. Hudson kicked into the man-on-the-mark Barry Lawrence (St Kilda) in one of his attempts to break the record during the grand final.

In the first round of 1972 he seriously injured his knee just before half time. He had already kicked 8 goals and had just taken a mark within distance when he fell awkwardly. It was thought that his career had finished.

On 25 August 1973 he returned from Tasmania to kick eight goals against Collingwood at VFL Park. After playing Rounds 1 and 2 in 1974, he again injured his knee and returned to Tasmania. After hurting his knee playing netball later that year he decided to have knee surgery in the summer. He did not play another VFL game until lured back for the 1977 season when he ended up kicking 110 goals for the season.

Hudson coached and played for Glenorchy Football Club in the TFL in 1975 and 1976, taking them to a premiership in his first year. Following his second return from the VFL, in 1978 he once again played for Glenorchy, kicking 153 goals and winning the highest individual honour in the TFL, the William Leitch Medal. In the next season he again topped the goalkicking with 179 goals, winning his second William Leitch medal. He retired as a player at the end of the season. He coached Hobart in the TFL in 1986–1987 for consecutive unsuccessful finals campaigns.

In 1979, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours, for services to Australian football.

He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and elevated to "Legend" status in 1999. His citation reads: "A freakish full-forward who just kept accumulating goals. Made brilliant use of the body, was deadly accurate and had an amazing ability to read the play. Holds the best goals per game average (5.59) in VFL/AFL history and in 1971 matched Bob Pratt's record for most goals in a season with 150."

Hudson is well respected for his business acumen. Since retirement he has had a stint as the Chief Executive Officer at Hawthorn and St Kilda. Currently he is a senior executive of insurance giant Bupa.

Hudson was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2001.

Hudson is depicted in a Tasmanian state guernsey taking a mark against South Australia in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport

In 2010, Hudson became the eleventh player to feature in a Toyota Memorable Moments advertisement with Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson, comically re-enacting his unsuccessful attempt to break Bob Pratt's goal-kicking record in the 1971 VFL Grand Final.

His son Paul also played for the Hawthorn Football Club, Western Bulldogs and Richmond Football Club, and nephew Simon Minton-Connell also played AFL football for the Carlton Football Club, Sydney Swans, Hawthorn Football Club and Western Bulldogs.