Stephen Boyle
Australian rules footballer (born 1953)
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Stephen Boyle (born 4 September 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Stephen Boyle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 4 September 1953 | ||
| Original team | Moe[1] | ||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 71 kg (157 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1972 | Footscray | 6 (10) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1972. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Recruited from Moe, Boyle was a half forward flanker who kicked at least one goal in each of his six appearances for Footscray in the 1972 VFL season.[2] Just a week after the infamous John Greening incident had taken place, Boyle also suffered a career-ending injury. Playing his sixth league game, against St Kilda at Western Oval, he badly injured an eye after a collision with defender Kevin "Cowboy Neale. He was admitted to hospital with bleeding behind his eye and needed surgery to stop blood from reaching his brain.[3] Doctors were unable to prevent him from permanently losing the sight of his right eye and although he attempted a comeback he never played another VFL game.[4]
He was the second of three family members who had their sporting careers ruined by injury. His mother, Nancy Boyle, was a short-distance runner and briefly held the 440 yard world record in 1957. She missed out on qualifying for the 1960 Rome Olympics when she stepped on a nail. He also has a son, Tim Boyle, who played for Hawthorn but was forced into retirement at the age of 25, due to multiple injuries.[5]