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Gerard Healy

Image DOB: 1 March 1961

Debut: Round 1, 1979 against Footscray at MCG
Last MFC Game: Round 22, 1985 against Richmond at MCG

From: Edithvale-Aspendale

Number: 39 (1979-1981), 3 (1982-1985)

Honours:
Best and Fairest - 1984
Leading Goalkicker - 1982
Victorian state player - 1982, 1984, 1985
Australian Football Hall of Fame member

Games: 130 (211 total)
Goals: 189 (276 total)
Career Statistics

WinsDrawsLossesWinning %
4108931.53

Statistical categories led:
Most goals in jumper 39

The older brother of future captain Greg Healy was one of the success stories of Melbourne's otherwise disappointing early 1980s. After a consistent first season where he played 21 senior games, Healy was restricted to seven games in 1980 after breaking his leg in a car accident before Round 8. He returned to play every game the next year, before kicking 77 goals and playing for Victoria as a small forward in 1982. In Round 1 he had a heated confrontation with Barassi after being dragged 10 minutes into the first quarter. Healy cited it as the turning point to his season, saying he believed Barassi needed to be challenged before he’d “stand up and take notice of you”.

In partnership with Mark Jackson, Healy found goalscoring more difficult in 1983. He only kicked 12 in his first seven games, including four in one match. He revealed he was feeling the pressure to kick a bag of goals every week to be effective, but recovered to 37 for the season.

After winning the 1984 Best and Fairest, Healy was selected for an International Rules tour of Ireland and was starting to be acknowledged as one of the game's top players. Despite battling Glandular Fever in the pre-season he spent most of the 1985 season as acting captain in the absence of Robert Flower, finishing second in the best and fairest. He then accepted a big money deal to join Sydney in 1986. It was reported that he was on $350,000 across his first three years with the Swans. Melbourne had 15 days to match Sydney's offer but chose not to, unwilling to go above an offer of $240,000.

Reported for striking Steve Turner in his first game against the Demons, Healy won the best and fairest award at Sydney in his first three years with them, and won the Brownlow Medal in 1988. Healy retired at the end of 1990 after chronic wrist injuries caused by a collision midway through that year. An operation left him unable to play but Collingwood used their last pick in the 1991 Pre-Season draft on him. He had no interest in joining the Magpies, and the AFL promptly changed its rules so players would have to nominate before they could be drafted.

Moving into the media after his retirement he first joined the Channel Seven commentary team before joining 3AW and Fox Sports.

A third Healy brother, Matthew played Under 19s in 1987.

YearGamesGoalsBrownlow
1979 21100
1980 741
1981 22270
1982 21772
1983 19371
1984 20192
1985 20158
Tribunal Record
MatchChargeSanction
Round 11, 1984 Striking Not Guilty

Lists
Family
Sydney

Media
Inside Football - 22/05/1980
Age - 12/05/1983
Age - 16/05/1983
Canberra Times - 26/10/1984
Age - 28/02/1986
Canberra Times - 15/03/1991

Links
Demonwiki image gallery
Wikipedia profile

Created by Supermercado. Last Modification: Friday 21 July 2023 13:58:07 AEST by Supermercado. (Version 35)

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