Tony Modra

Tony Modra

Personal information
Birth	1 March 1969 (1969-03-01)
Recruited from	West Adelaide
Height and weight	188 cm / 95 kg
Playing career¹
Debut	Round 4, 11 April 1992, Adelaide Crows v. Fitzroy Lions, at Princes Park
Team(s)	Adelaide (1992–1998) 118 games 440 goals Fremantle (1999–2001) 47 games 148 goals All Stars (2009) 1 game 2 goals Total – 165 games 588 goals
¹ Statistics to end of 2001 season
Career highlights
All Australian selection 1993 and 1997 Runner-Up in the 1999 Doig Medal 1995 AFL Goal of the Year Mark of the Year winner for 1993, 1997 and 2000 1997 Coleman Medalist Adelaide Crows all time leading goal kicker 5 times most goals in a season for Adelaide 1993–1997 Most goals in a match for Adelaide with 13 in both 1993 and 1994 Most goals in a match for Fremantle with 10 in 1999

Anthony 'Tony' Dale Modra (born 1 March 1969) is a former Australian rules football player, known for his spectacular marks. He played for the Adelaide Football Club and Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League, mainly at full forward. Modra had the physical strength and size to match the best opposition full backs in the competition. He played in the number 6 guernsey for both Adelaide and Fremantle.

AFL career

Adelaide career (1992–1998)

After being recruited from West Adelaide Football Club in the SANFL, Modra began his AFL career later than most players at 23 years of age. At first his potential at full-forward was overshadowed by senior player Scott Hodges who had a reputation as a prolific goal kicker at the Port Adelaide Football Club, also in the SANFL. Modra played a handful of games in his debut season of 1992, without making a great impact.

At the start of 1993, an injury to Hodges caused Modra to be put in the full forward position. Modra was an instant success, and finished the year with 129 goals.

Both the Crows and Modra had less successful seasons in 1994 through to 1996, although Modra topped the club goalkicking each year.

In 1997, Modra won the Coleman Medal for the most goals in the AFL, and was also selected in the AFL All-Australian team. However a torn ACL knee injury sustained during a marking contest in the preliminary final caused Modra to miss the Grand Final.

After returning from the knee injury 10 months later in 1998 he failed to regain form and was not considered for the Grand Final. He was thus one of the few leading Crows players who did not receive a premiership medallion in either of the Crows premiership years of 1997 and 1998.

Modra's aerial ability was unsurpassed in his prime, and he was nominated for Mark of the Year on numerous occasions, winning the award in 1993, 1997 and 2000.

Fremantle career (1999–2001)

Adelaide traded Modra to Fremantle for the 1999 season. By the middle of the 2001 season sore knees forced him to retire from the AFL at 32 years of age. His career games tally finished at 165 games for 588 goals.

Post AFL career

In his post-footballing career, Modra has become a Beef Cattle farmer. He now lives in Victor Harbor. He played in recent seasons for Encounter Bay in the Great Southern Football League. Currently Modra is playing for the Prince Alfred Old Collegians Football Club, alongside old team mate Mark Ricciuto in division 4 of the South Australian Amateur Football league. He also plays in charity games such as the West End Slowdown and can still take huge marks. He also plays cricket for the Encounter Bay Cricket Club.

Modra kicked 10 goals against Lucindale on 30 June 2006. Keith won by 119 points.

In his first senior Premiership since he was 21, Modra kicked 8 goals in Keith's win over Penola in the KNTFL Grand Final played at Naracoorte on 15 September 2007. Final scores Keith 19.8 (122) defeated Penola 10.10 (70)

Tony Modra being interviewed after the State of Origin Slowdown charity match between SA and Vic at the Adelaide Oval on 3 October 2011

On 3 October 2011 Modra, along with other former AFL and SANFL stars such as Andrew and Darren Jarman, Gavin Wanganeen, Mark Ricciuto, Ben Hart, Mick Martyn, Brendan Fevola, Matthew Lloyd and Dermott Brereton played in the State of Origin Slowdown match at the Adelaide Oval between South Australia and Victoria. The match was played for charity for the Little Heroes Foundation and saw SA run out winners 17.10 (112) to Victoria's 17.9 (111) on a goal 20 seconds from the final siren by Darren Jarman. Despite being 42 years old and what many consider past their prime for a footballer, Modra showed he had lost none of the high flying ability that wowed Crows and Dockers fans for a decade.

External links

• Tony Modra's statistics from AFL Tables

Awards
Preceded by Nicky Winmar	Mark of the Year Winner 1993	Succeeded by Gary Ablett
Preceded by Tony Lockett	Coleman Medalist 1997	Succeeded by Tony Lockett
Preceded by Ben Hart	Mark of the Year Winner 1997	Succeeded by Winston Abraham
Preceded by Matthew Lappin	Mark of the Year Winner 2000	Succeeded by Gary Moorcroft