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Barry Davis (footballer)

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Barry Davis
Personal information
Date of birth (1943-09-15)15 September 1943
Date of death 22 May 2024(2024-05-22) (aged 80)
Original team(s) Essendon High School
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1961–1972 Essendon 218 0(65)
1973–1975 North Melbourne 071 0(54)
Total 289 (119)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1978 – 1980 Essendon 067 (30–36–1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1980.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Barry Davis (15 September 1943 – 22 May 2024) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) with Essendon and North Melbourne, before coaching his original team between 1978 and 1980. He was a three-time premiership player.

Playing career

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Essendon Football Club

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In the summer of 1961, Barry Davis and a school friend were asked to train with Essendon in a bid to play in the Under-19s. Davis impressed observers and he was asked to participate in pre-season practice matches that included players from the main list. He played in the Reserves for round 1 of the 1961 season. Recruited from Essendon High School, Davis made his debut with Essendon Football Club in the VFL in the second round of 1961; Davis played off the half-back line and was quite a prolific ball-gathering player. Davis never played with the under-19s even though he was eligible.[1]

Davis went on to play 218 games and kick 65 goals for the club, winning the Bombers' best and fairest award three times – in 1968, 1969 and 1971. He captained the side in 1970 and 1971, and he also played in the team premierships in 1962 and 1965. He was named in Essendon's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.[2]

North Melbourne Football Club

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Moving to North in 1973 under the VFL's short-lived "10-year rule", which allowed players with ten years' service at one club to move to another club without a clearance,[3] Davis won North Melbourne's best and fairest in his first year at North. He went on to captain the Roos' first-ever premiership side in 1975, his final VFL season. He had played 71 games and kicked 54 goals for North before retiring. He was also named in North Melbourne's Team of the Century.[4]

Coaching career

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Essendon Football Club

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Davis coached his original club Essendon as senior coach from 1978 to 1980; he replaced Bill Stephen, who was sacked as Essendon Football Club senior coach at the end of the 1977 season.[5] Davis coached Essendon with a 30-win, 36-loss and 1-draw record.[6] He resigned at the end of the 1980 season because Essendon under Davis did not make the top five on the ladder and therefore missed out of the finals.[7] He then made way for Kevin Sheedy, who replaced Davis as Essendon Football Club senior coach and coached the club until the end of the 2007 season, for a record total of 27 years.[8][9]

Champions of Essendon

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In 2002, an Essendon panel ranked him at 15 in their Champions of Essendon list of the 25 greatest players ever to have played for Essendon.

Death

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Davis died on 22 May 2024, at the age of 80.[10]

Statistics

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[11]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  #  
 Played in that season's 
premiership team
Led the league after finals only
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1961 Essendon 32 17 14 — — — — — — 0.8 — — — — — —
1962# Essendon 32 17 0 — — — — — — 0 — — — — — —
1963 Essendon 32 18 1 — — — — — — 0.1 — — — — — —
1964 Essendon 32 16 0 — — — — — — 0.0 — — — — — —
1965# Essendon 32 12 0 0 126 23 149 61 — 0.0 0.0 10.5 1.9 12.4 5.1 —
1966 Essendon 32 20 1 2 275 30 305 82 — 0.1 0.1 13.8 1.5 15.3 4.1 —
1967 Essendon 32 17 0 0 292 32 324 72 — 0.0 0.0 17.2 1.9 19.1 4.2 —
1968 Essendon 32 22 1 8 394 87 481 136 — 0.0 0.4 17.9 4.0 21.9 6.2 —
1969 Essendon 32 19 18 18 446 90 536 134 — 0.9 0.9 23.5 4.7 28.2 7.1 —
1970 Essendon 32 19 17 23 382 85 467 101 — 0.9 1.2 20.1 4.5 24.6 5.3 —
1971 Essendon 32 19 11 23 400 62 462 132 — 0.6 1.2 21.1 3.3 24.3 6.9 —
1972 Essendon 32 22 2 2 376 34 410 106 — 0.1 0.1 17.1 1.5 18.6 4.8 —
1973 North Melbourne 32 21 19 19 466 67 533 89 — 0.9 0.9 22.2 3.2 25.4 4.2 —
1974 North Melbourne 32 24 21 16 461 92 553 113 — 0.9 0.7 19.2 3.8 23.0 4.7 —
1975# North Melbourne 32 26 14 12 503 106 609 102 — 0.5 0.5 20.1 4.2 24.4 4.1 —
Career 289 119 123 4121 708 4829 1128 — 0.4 0.6 18.7 3.2 22.0 5.1 —

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BARRY DAVIS". Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  2. ^ "BARRY DAVIS". Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  3. ^ The 10-year rule was introduced by the VFL in August 1972, in order to render it immune from the sorts of "restraint of trade" difficulties that were being experienced, at the time, in New South Wales in relation to Rugby League footballers. Although twenty-two VFL players were eligible under the rule, only George Bisset, Davis, Carl Ditterich, John Rantall, Adrian Gallagher, and Doug Wade, took advantage of it — transferring to Collingwood, North Melbourne, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Footscray, and North Melbourne (respectively). The rule was rescinded in May 1973.
  4. ^ "BARRY DAVIS". Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Back in Red and Black". 20 July 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Barry DAVIS". Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  7. ^ "BARRY DAVIS". Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Barry DAVIS". Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Back in Red and Black". 20 July 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Former Bombers, Kangaroos great Barry Davis dies, aged 80". AFL. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  11. ^ Barry Davis' player profile at AFL Tables
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