John Bridgwood is a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er, who played a state match for Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

 in 1971, as well as 124 games in the WAFL

West Australian Football League

The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...

 for the Claremont Football Club

Claremont Football Club

The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....

.

Biography

The son of former Claremont player Maurie Bridgwood who played 169 games for the club. Bridgwood's main focus as a junior was athletics, where he was a state hurdle champion. In 1968, he won the fairest and best award for the first XVIII at Aquinas College

Aquinas College, Perth

Aquinas College is a Catholic independent, day and boarding school for boys, located in Salter Point, Western Australia. Its sister school is Santa Maria Ladies College located in Attadale...

in Western Australia. He made his debut in 1969 for Claremont. Bridgwood became a regular in the league side the following season, and was runner up to Bruce Duperouzel for the Ben Cook medal as Claremont’s fairest and best in 1971, as well as gaining State selection. He retired at the end of the 1977 season due to injuries at the age of 26.