Geoff Blethyn Explained

Geoff Blethyn
Fullname:Geoffrey Russell Blethyn
Birth Date:28 October 1950
Birth Place:Moreland, Victoria
Originalteam:St Andrew's
Height:183 cm
Weight:80 kg
Statsend:1977
Years1:1968–1972, 1976
Club1:Essendon
Games Goals1:84 (216)
Years2:1973–1975
Club2:Claremont
Games Goals2:33 (104)
Years3:1976
Years4:1977
Club4:Port Adelaide
Games Goals4:11 (13)
Careerhighlights:
  • premiership player (1977)

Geoffrey Russell Blethyn (born 28 October 1950) is a former leading Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL), Claremont in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) and Port Adelaide in the South Australian Football League (SANFL).

Family

The son of Oliver Blethyn (1910-2004), and Honor Evelyn Blethyn (1917-2000), née Searle, Geoffrey Russell Blethyn was born at Moreland, Victoria on 28 October 1950.[1]

Football career

Essendon (1968–1972)

A full-forward, Blethyn had a slim frame and famously wore glasses on the field.

He made his debut in April 1968 when he was selected on the half-forward flank in place of the injured Alan Noonan.[2] [3]

He kicked four goals in Essendon's 1968 Grand Final loss to Carlton,[4] and had his most prolific game up forward when he kicked 11 goals against Footscray during the 1972 VFL season. 1972 was a record breaking-year for Blethyn—he finished it with 107 goals and became the first Essendon player since John Coleman in 1950 to kick over 100 in a season. However, he missed out on the Coleman Medal to Collingwood's Peter McKenna, who kicked 130 goals for the season.

Claremont (1973–1975)

From 1973 to 1975 Blethyn played for WAFL club Claremont.

Essendon (1976)

Blethyn returned to Essendon in 1976,[5] where he topped his team's goalkicking table with 39 goals. It was the third time Blethyn had finished a season as Essendon's top goalkicker, having previously done so in 1970 and 1972.

Port Adelaide (1977)

Blethyn left Essendon for good in 1977 when he transferred to SANFL club Port Adelaide. In that season, he played in the only premiership side of his career.

After football

Blethyn currently lives in Adelaide and works as a property advisor.[6]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23021665 Births: Blethyn, The Argus, (Thursday, 2 November 1950), p.16.
  2. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IX0QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fpMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2087%2C4010093 Beames, P., "Blues Pick Barassi", The Age, (Wednesday, 24 April 1968), p.24.
  3. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=In0QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fpMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3713%2C4248757 Essendon's Chance for Hat-Trick, The Age, (Thursday, 25 April 1968), p.20.
  4. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R-9UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d5MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=917%2C5791809 Carter, R., "Well Done Young Blethyn", The Age, (Monday, 30 September 1968), p.25.
  5. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y-BUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QZIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4283%2C2142420 Sheahan, M., "Ex-Bomber Blethyn Keen to Return", The Age, (Wednesday, 14 January 1978), p.22.
  6. Hanlon, P. "Blethyn specs a tall order", The Age, 26 June 2013, http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/blethyn-specs-a-tall-order-20130625-2ov7y.html