Reuben Cooper
Personal information
Date of birth (1951-08-14) 14 August 1951
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
1969 South Melbourne 2 (0)
Darwin
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
Northern Territory
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1986–87 Nightcliff
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Reuben Cooper (born 14 August 1951) is a former Australian rules footballer. He is notable for playing for the South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL - now AFL).

Biography

Cooper, an indigenous Australian was born into a footballing family, his father Ron who played football with the Buffaloes in the NTFL.[1] His great grandfather Joseph ("Joe") is said to have owned Melville Island and married a Iwaidja woman[2] and sent Reuben's grandfather, Reuben Cooper Snr to St Peter's College, Adelaide after which he returned to introduced the sport to Darwin in 1915, Reuben Snr was the first "coloured" player to play in the Darwin league and his wife.[3]

Playing career

In 1968 Cooper moved to Melbourne to play for South Melbourne but was unable to play for the Swans immediately due to Northern Territory transfer rules. He spent the 1968 season playing suburban football in Melbourne.[4]

He made his league debut during the 1969 VFL season as a seventeen-year-old, becoming the first player from the Northern Territory to play in the VFL.[4][5]

After returning to Darwin, he played for Darwin Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL). He was best on ground in the Buffaloes' 1970/71 grand final-winning team.[6]

Coaching career

Cooper was coach of NTFL club Nightcliff for the 1986/87 season.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "History of the NTFL" (PDF). AFL Northern Territory. p. 5. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Northern Territory Identity". The Gloucester Advocate. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 2563. New South Wales, Australia. 8 December 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 5 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ ABORIGINAL HISTORY 1992 pg 17. Editors: John Mulvaney, Peter Grimshaw.
  4. 1 2 Morris, Grey (9 May 2008). "First of NT's legion of stars". Northern Territory News.
  5. ↑ "Every South Melbourne/Sydney Swans Player". Sydney Swans. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "History of the NTFL" (PDF). AFL Northern Territory. p. 69. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "NFC History" (PDF). Nightcliff Football Club. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
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