Football Career
Although not solidly built (he weighed 78 kg), he was 6'2" (188 cm), and his very long arms gave him extra inches in marking contests.
Recruited from Essendon Baptists in 1958 — he had broken the Essendon District Football League's Essendon goalkicking record in 1957 — he played his first senior match for Essendon, as a reserve, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, against Melbourne on 10 May 1958.
Altogether, he played 64 games for Essendon from 1958 to 1962, mostly at full-forward, kicking 210 goals. He played his best football under coach Dick Reynolds.
He missed a number of games through injury in 1961; but, in 1962, John Coleman's second year as coach, he only played six senior games for Essendon, having lost his regular place at full-forward to Charlie Payne.
His brief senior record is impressive:
- 1958: 10 games (2 as a reserve), 27 goals (including 7 goals in one match) — plus 1 night game, 1 goal.
- 1959: 20 games, 78 goals (including 9 goals in a match on two occasions, and 6 goals in a match on another two occasions)
- 1959: full-forward in losing Grand-Final team)1959 VFL season#Grand Final Teams
- 1959: Victorian State Team
- 1959: VFL Leading Goalkicker at 19 years, 78 goals (including 5 goals from only 6 touches in the 1959 First Semi-Final against Collingwood, and 2 goals in the losing GrandFinal against Melbourne)
- 1960: 18 games, 67 goals (including 10 goals in a match on one occasion, 8 goals in a match on one occasion, and 6 goals in a match on another)
- 1960: Victorian State Team
- 1960: VFL Leading Goalkicker 67 goals (despite being the competition's leading goalkicker, Evans was held goal-less in Essendon's 1960 First Semi-Final loss to Collingwood)
- 1961: 10 games (1 as a reserve), 21 goals — plus 1 night game, 3 goals.
- 1962: 6 games, 16 goals
- 1962: Last game for Essendon (as a reserve) against St Kilda on 4 August 1962.
In 1963, he moved to Western Australia, got his form back, and played a total of 60 games at full-forward for the West Perth Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) over three seasons from 1963 to 1965.
- 1963: 97 goals
- 1963: WANFL Leading goalkicker.
- 1964: 84 goals
- 1964: West Perth's Leading goalkicker.
- 1965: 90 goals
- 1965: West Perth's Leading goalkicker.
He retired as a footballer at the end of the 1965 season at the age of 26.
Read more about this topic: Ron Evans
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