Australian Football

Before switching to full back Brittingham was Essendon’s full forward and in 1946 won the League goal-kicking with 66 goals. Brittingham told Essendon selectors if they wished to train another player to fill his place he would stand aside. “It is a sporting gesture from a player who has always been a great clubman,” Essendon chairman of selectors Howard Okey said today.¹

Having worked his way through the ranks at Essendon, Bill Brittingham made his senior VFL debut in 1943, and after a slow start developed in to an excellent key position player. Prior to the arrival of John Coleman he was the Dons' full forward, topping the league goal kicking list in 1946 with 66 goals, and Essendon's the following year with 48. However, in 1948 his woeful inaccuracy in the Grand Final against Melbourne was blamed for his side's failure to win the match despite managing 34 scoring shots to 19. The game ended as a draw, and Melbourne won the following week's replay comfortably.

After Coleman's arrival the following season, Brittingham was converted into a solidly effective full back, in which position he was a key member of the Dons' 1949 and 1950 premiership winning teams. In 1950, he was chosen as full back in the prestigious team of the year selected annually by the writers of 'Sporting Life' magazine. He was runner-up in Essendon's best and fairest award the same year.

Bill Brittingham retired at the end of the 1952 season after a ten season, 171 game league career. He later spent four years as an Essendon committee member.