DOB: 12 August 1872
Died: 24 April 1935
VFL Debut: Round 1, 1897 against South Melbourne at Lake Oval
Last Game: Round 7, 1912 against Essendon at MCG
From: Carlton District/Carlton
Number: 24 (1912)
Honours:
Premiership Player - 1900
Leading Goalkicker - 1897, 1899, 1902, 1907
150 Heroes selection
Life Member - 2005
Games: 133
Goals: 162
Career Statistics
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % |
| 56 | 1 | 76 | 42.10 |
Statistical categories led:
Oldest player in a senior game.
Originally from Geelong, Leith moved to Carlton in 1891 and then Melbourne in May 1896. He had originally sought a clearance to Essendon but it wasn't granted. A leading advocate of the place kick, he once used the technique to kick five goals from five shots in Round 1, 1902. He was Melbourne's leading goalkicker four times, and in 1897 he played for a VFL representative side against the Bendigo league.
Almost ever present in the early years of Melbourne's life in the VFL, he missed one game in 1898 when his child passed away on the morning of the match. Leith returned the next week and played out the season but was well down on his form from the previous year. He retired at the end of 1908 and worked as a trainer for the club but was persuaded to return in 1911 when he played as a defender in four games over two years before giving up the game for good just before his 40th birthday. At 39 years and 296 days is the second oldest man ever to have played VFL/AFL football, behind only Vic Cumberland.
After his retirement, Leith was a ground attendant at the MCG, and for many years operated the scoreboard. He was posthumously awarded life membership in 2005.
| Year | Games | Goals | |
| 1897 | 17 | 26 | |
| 1898 | 16 | 17 | |
| 1899 | 16 | 21 | |
| 1900 | 17 | 19 | |
| 1901 | 7 | 4 | |
| 1902 | 13 | 26 | |
| 1903 | 12 | 13 | |
| 1905 | 7 | 4 | |
| 1906 | 12 | 7 | |
| 1907 | 11 | 21 | |
| 1908 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1911 | 3 | 3 | |
| 1912 | 1 | 0 | |
Lists
Carlton
Media
Sportsman - 08/06/1897
Argus - 11/07/1898
Examiner - 07/09/1910
Herald - 24/04/1935
Links
Australian Football profile
Blueseum profile
Demonwiki image gallery
Wikipedia profile