Fred Rutley

Who is Fred Rutley?

Fred Rutley was an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League.

Rutley played at North Melbourne in their Victorian Football Association days and was a member of their inaugural VFL squad in 1925. He kicked three goals in both his second and third league appearances, and only once in his eleven career games did he fail to kick a goal.

He is best remembered for his part in a controversial and spiteful match against Geelong at Arden Street during the 1925 season where he was reported on six charges as a result of an all-in brawl that involved players and team officials. Both Arthur Coghlan and Stan Thomas of Geelong were suspended for the remainder of 1925 and all of 1926, but the league tribunal, headed by League President Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer, found that Rutley was responsible for starting the brawl and suspended him for life. The suspension was commuted five years later and he returned to North Melbourne, having missed 89 games, the third longest suspension in VFL history.