John Fitzgerald (Australian footballer, born 1961)

John Fitzgerald (born 21 November 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

John Fitzgerald
Personal information
Full name John Fitzgerald
Date of birth (1961-11-21) 21 November 1961 (age 62)
Original team(s) St Joseph's
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 73 kg (161 lb)
Position(s) Rover
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1986–1987 Geelong 8 (5)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1987.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Fitzgerald played under 19s football at Geelong, then instead of pursuing a VFL career played with St Joseph's in the Geelong Football League.[2] A rover, Fitzgerald was lured back to the club in 1986 and appeared in the final five rounds of the season.[3] He played a further three games early in the 1987 VFL season.[3]

In 1989, Fitzgerald captained St Joseph's to a premiership and was named "best and ground" in the grand final.[4]

He coached South Barwon from 2000 to 2003, which included a premiership in 2001.[5][6] From 2007 to 2011 he was senior coach of Bell Park and steered them to a premiership in his final season.[7] He took a break from coaching in 2012, before being named coach of Drysdale in the Bellarine Football League, for the 2013 season.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
  2. ^ The Age, "Bombers lose Heard", 1 August 1986, p. 25
  3. ^ a b "John Fitzgerald". AFL Tables.
  4. ^ "Best in GFL Grand Final – Football & Netball Geelong" (PDF). Football Geelong. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2013. (PDF)
  5. ^ "Coaches & Captains". South Barwon Football & Netball Club.
  6. ^ The Age, "Old Cats never die", 4 August 2002
  7. ^ Colac Herald, "Perfect finish for Bell Park coach", 28 September 2011, Aidan Fawkes
  8. ^ "Hawks sign Fitzgerald for 2013". Drysdale Hawks.
  9. ^ Geelong Advertiser, "One kick away from a great day", 14 May 2013