Playing Career
The son of Victorians Ernest Edward Bunton, a brickmaker, and Matilda Caroline, née Luhrs, Bunton was born and raised in Albury, New South Wales. He originally played for Albury Football Club in the Ovens & Murray Football Association. His natural Australian football ability attracted the attention of all twelve VFL clubs. Fitzroy won the race to secure his services, but only after it was revealed that they had paid him 222 pounds to join, which was illegal under VFL rules. He was subsequently unable to play during the 1930 VFL season. His initial, legal match payments were the modest sum of £2 per week.
Bunton played district cricket for Fitzroy during the 1930-31 season, and scored 104 against Prahran. He resisted offers from clubs in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) to play for them during the 1930 season, one club even offering him a brand-new car.
Bunton played as a rover/follower and achieved instant success, winning Brownlow Medals in his first two seasons (1931 and 1932) in the VFL. He worked in a department store during the day, and practised baulking by weaving his way through crowds of shoppers. One of his opponents, Dick Reynolds, spied on him during this activity in order to learn how to defeat his technique.
During his career at Fitzroy, Bunton averaged over thirty kicks per match and won five club best-and-fairest awards, in addition to his Brownlows. He was appointed captain of Fitzroy in 1932 and was named Champion of the Colony that same year. He was runner-up for the Brownlow Medal in 1934, then won the award for a third time in 1935. While playing, Bunton also spent the 1936 VFL season as senior coach at Fitzroy, but could only manage two wins. He was also Fitzroy's leading goalkicker in 1936 and 1937.
In 1938, Bunton moved to Western Australia, taking the position of captain-coach of Subiaco. He won the Sandover Medal three times, in 1938, 1939 and 1941. Just as at Fitzroy, Bunton did not win a grand final during his senior career. Altogether, Bunton had won six league best and fairest awards in only eleven seasons between the two states in which he had played. Bunton returned to Fitzroy for a few games in 1942, and after being discharged from army service at the end of World War II he played one season with SANFL club Port Adelaide.
Read more about this topic: Haydn Bunton, Sr.
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