Henshaw was a tough defender and played in either the back pocket or half back flank for North Melbourne during the 70s and into the early 80s. A attacking defender who teamed with David Dench, Frank Gumbleton, Ken Montgomery, Denis Pagan, Gary Farrant and Gary Cowton, to be part of one of the best defensive line ups for its era.
Henshaw holds a unique VFL/AFL record; he has played the most games of any player without polling a single vote in the Brownlow Medal.
|
| Personal information |
| Birth |
25 October 1976 (1976-10-25) (age 33) |
| Recruited from |
North Albury Football Club (NSW) |
| Height and weight |
184cm, 80 kg |
| Playing career¹ |
| Debut |
Round 19 1999, Sydney Swans vs. Kangaroos, at SCG |
| Team(s) |
Sydney Swans (1999 – )
217 games, 84 goals
|
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2009 season |
| Career highlights |
|
|
Brett Kirk (born 25 October 1976) is an Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans of the AFL, and is known colloquially as "Kirky", "Captain Kirk", during the 2005 AFL Finals Series, "Captain Blood" and by teammates as "Hippy". Kirk is a hard working and onfield leader who has played in a premiership with the Sydney Swans.
Early career
Kirk grew up in Albury, New South Wales. He was a standout for the North Albury Football Club in the highly competitive Ovens & Murray Football League before being drafted to the Sydney Swans as a rookie.
AFL career
Brett Kirk in action for the Sydney Swans
Kirk was elevated from the Swans rookie list and made his senior debut in 1999, despite having previously been cut from the supplementary list.
For a while, he struggled to cement his place in the team, but since Paul Roos replaced Rodney Eade as coach, his career has blossomed. He has gained a reputation as a tough player, willing to put his body on the line and full of determination. He is usually ranked highly by number of handballs and hard-ball gets, and led the competition in tackles for 2004 and 2005.
He was runner-up for the clubs best and fairest award in both 2003 and 2004, making the All Australian Team in 2004. After the resignation of Stuart Maxfield from the Sydney captaincy in the early rounds of the 2005 premiership season, Kirk was one of the six players in the captaincy rotation. He captained the club for 4 games and was later named the best and fairest in the 2005 premiership winning team.
In 2006, Kirk amassed 142 tackles (second-highest in the league) and was awarded the AFLPA's Robert Rose Award for most courageous player jointly with Glenn Archer.
In 2007, Brett Kirk has won his second best and fairest award. Kirk polled in all the 23 matches he played in 2007, amassing a total of 461 votes.
Kirk is arguably the most prolific tackler amongst active players. He currently has the second-most tackles in recorded history (recorded since 1987, and behind only Tony Liberatore), holds the record of 149 tackles in a single season (2007), and holds a total of four of the top seven positions in that statistic.[1]
During the first half of the 2008 season, former Collingwood legend, now Fox Sports commentator Tony Shaw, praised Brett Kirk for his consistency as a leader and a player over the past few years, and rated him as the best captain in the league. He noted that with the departure of great team leaders and club legends like Nathan Buckley for Collingwood, Michael Voss for the Brisbane Lions and James Hird for Essendon, the AFL had lost much of its leadership, and did not hesitate to name Brett Kirk as one of the few who has taken the mantle of the league's most influential and consistent leaders, alongside players such as that of Brisbane's Jonathan Brown. Shaw said that though Kirk may not have the speed or skills to rival players like Chris Judd, Gary Ablett, Sam Mitchell and Sydney Swans teammate Adam Goodes, he certainly had the toughness, strength, fitness, consistency and leadership skills to be considered as one of the AFL's best leaders since his debut.
Brett Kirk is widely known as a tagger. He has shadowed players like, Chris Judd, Sam Mitchell and Brisbane Lions Simon Black, the elite players of the league and kept them shut out of the game. He is one of the most respected players of the AFL and will continue to tackle hard and lead the Swans in 2009.
As of the end of the 2009 AFL season, Kirk has played 176 matches in succession, the 8th longest such streak.
On May 19 2010, Kirk announced his retirement effective as of the end of the 2010 season. If he plays every game until the end of the home and away season, and the Swans play two finals games, Kirk has the chance to play 200 consecutive games before his impending retirement.
Personal life
In 2008, Kirk was given the honour of meeting with the Dalai Lama during his Australian tour in which he presented the Dalai Lama with a signed Swans guernsey. His nephew Sean Beath is a young star on the rise and Sydney are looking to draft him at the end of 2009.[1] Kirk is known as a practicing Buddhist and wears a tattoo of a Buddhist symbol on his back.[2]
Brian Leahy - Melbourne
|
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Brian Peter Leahy |
| Date of birth |
3 February 1943 |
| Death |
24 January 2004 (aged 60),
Wodonga, Victoria |
| Recruited from |
North Albury |
| Height/Weight |
185 cm / 83 kg |
| Position(s) |
Half Back |
| Playing career1 |
| Years |
Club |
Games (Goals) |
| 1960-1965 |
Melbourne |
79 (2) |
|
1 Playing statistics to end of 1965 season .
|
Brian Peter 'Wrecker' Leahy (3 February 1943 - 24 January 2004) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the VFL during the early 1960s. His brothers John and Terry also played for Melbourne.
A strongly built half back, Leahy was noted for his bursts off the flanks. At age 15 he won the North Albury Football Club's best and fairest[1] and was just 16 when signed up by Melbourne, spending 1959 in the reserves.
On 18 April 1960 during the Round 1 clash with North Melbourne, Leahy became the 786th player to wear the Melbourne guernsey. He went on to play a further 11 matches with Melbourne during the 1960 season, including the Grand Final against Collingwood[2]. At 17 years and 233 days Brian became the second youngest premiership player in VFL history, just 11 days older than the record holder Murray Weideman.
During the 1961 season, Leahy played a total of 17 matches - two with his older brother, John (Rounds 12 and 13) - and received 2 votes for the Brownlow Medal. He played another 17 matches in 1962, including the Semi-Final loss to Carlton and received another Brownlow Medal vote[3].
Leahy played a total of 18 games during the 1963 season and kicked his first VFL goal during the Round 7 loss to South Melbourne. In 1964 he kicked his second goal against South Melbourne (Round 11)[4] before a thigh injury cost him another premiership.
A torn achilles tendon the following season ultimately ended Leahy's VFL career - he played only one game in 1965 - the Round 16 loss to Geelong[5].
Leahy finished his career in the VFA where he played briefly with both Yarraville and Northcote. He then coached South Melbourne's Under-19s football team.
Later life
Brian Leahy died in Wodonga on 24 January 2004[6] and is buried at the Glenmorous Gardens Lawn Cemetery, Albury.
Rudy Yonson - Sydney Swans
Rudy Yonson (born 20 September 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Sydney in the VFL.
Rudy Yonson made his VFL debut in Sydney's 1985 Round 15 loss to Hawthorn at Princes Park - He kicked two goals in that game. Rudy played a further two games for Sydney - The Round 16 match against Collingwood at the SCG (where he kicked another goal) and the Round 17 match against Footscray at the Western Oval.[1].
Later life
Rudy currently runs a real estate business in Albury[2].
Mark Hilton - North Melbourne
Born: 27-Dec-1979 (Debut:21y 249d Last:21y 249d)
193 cm 90 kg
VFL/AFL:11160th player to appear, 11233rd most games played
North Melbourne:896th player to appear, 908th most games played
Mark Hilton made his VFL debut in North's 2001 Round 22 loss to Collingwood at Manuka Oval in Canberra. This would br Mark's only Senior game for the club but in that year he would win the Murray Kangaroo's (North's reserves) Best & Fairest. Returning to North Albury in 2002 to play in their premiership that year
Brent Piltz - Sydney Swans
Born:
Brent Piltz made his AFL debut in Sydney's 2001 season playing just the one Senior game. That year he would play 16 games for Port Melbourne (Sydney's reserves). Returning to North Albury in 2002 to play in their Premiership that year.
