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Kelvin Templeton

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Kelvin Templeton
Personal information
Date of birth (1956-09-30) 30 September 1956 (age 68)
Original team(s) Traralgon (LVFL)
Height 191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 94 kg (207 lb)
Position(s) Forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1974–1982 Footscray 143 (494)
1983–1985 Melbourne 34 (99)
Total 177 (593)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1985.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Kelvin Templeton (born 30 September 1956) is a former Australian rules footballer. At sixteen years of age Templeton kicked 100 goals for Traralgon in the 1973 Latrobe Valley Football League season.

Footscray, within whose country zone Traralgon was located, eyed Templeton continuously from that point, and he joined the club for the 1974 season at a time when the club had been desperately short of matchwinning goalkickers ever since Jack Collins retired in the 1950s. His debut against Collingwood was a sensation, for Templeton kicked six goals at full-forward.[1] However, it was felt Templeton was too skinny at around 81.5 kilograms (180 lb), and it was only when he did major weight training that he really began to excel. In 1976, Templeton kicked 82 goals, with a best of seven against South Melbourne.

After an injury-ruined 1977, Templeton came back to head the goalkicking table for 1978 with 118, including a career-best performance of 15 goals against St Kilda on 1 July.[2] During this match Templeton set a record of 24 scoring shots (15 goals, nine behinds).[3] Footscray kicked a then-record score of 33 goals fifteen behinds (213 points) in this match and his combined total with Ian Dunstan of 22 goals is a record for two players on one side in a VFL/AFL match. Despite this phenomenal feat, Footscray finished eleventh of twelve teams with only six other wins for the year.

Templeton was the league's leading goalkicker for the second consecutive year but after an appalling start to the 1980 season with eleven consecutive losses coach Royce Hart moved Templeton to centre half-forward in order to bring him closer to the action.[4] The move worked so well that Templeton became the first forward to win the Brownlow Medal and still kicked over seventy goals.

In 1981, however, Templeton could play only six games due to a serious knee injury, and nagging injuries reduced his effectiveness during his last year with Footscray in 1982. Melbourne bought Templeton as part of a buying spree for 1983 but the injuries did not abate and he played only 34 games for the Demons before announcing his retirement in April 1986.[citation needed]

Later, he would become the CEO of the Sydney Swans as they started to become a power in the Australian Football League.[citation needed]

In 1980 Templeton covered the song "Who's Sorry Now" for the album Footy Favourites – a collection of songs sung by VFL players.

Statistics

[edit]
Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
1974
1975 2
1976 2
1977 5
1978 5
1979 2
1980 23
1981
1982
1983 3
1984 2
1985
Total 44
Key:
Green / Bold = Won
[5]
Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Led the league after the season and finals
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1974 Footscray 31 12 25 18 92 14 106 54 2.1 1.5 7.7 1.2 8.8 4.5
1975 Footscray 31 14 29 18 92 19 111 62 2.1 1.4 7.1 1.5 8.5 4.8
1976 Footscray 31 23 82 39 201 14 215 117 3.6 1.7 8.7 0.6 9.3 5.1
1977 Footscray 31 9 40 19 84 9 93 46 4.4 2.4 9.3 1.0 10.3 5.1
1978 Footscray 31 21 118 65 253 27 280 176 5.6 3.1 12.0 1.3 13.3 8.4
1979 Footscray 31 22 91 62 238 27 265 150 4.1 2.8 10.8 1.2 12.0 6.8
1980 Footscray 31 22 75 33 329 84 413 188 3.4 1.5 15.0 3.8 18.8 8.5
1981 Footscray 31 6 8 7 68 28 96 45 1.3 1.2 11.3 4.7 16.0 7.5
1982 Footscray 31 14 26 21 170 61 231 98 1.9 1.5 12.1 4.4 16.5 7.0
1983 Melbourne 31 13 38 29 104 20 124 68 2.9 2.2 8.0 1.5 9.5 5.2
1984 Melbourne 31 16 51 19 103 14 117 69 3.2 1.2 6.4 0.9 7.3 4.3
1985 Melbourne 31 5 10 5 24 7 31 16 2.0 1.0 4.8 1.4 6.2 3.2
Career 177 593 335 1758 324 2082 1089 3.4 1.9 10.0 1.8 11.8 6.2

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Blair, Peter; History of the Brownlow Medal; p. 48. ISBN 0-9593406-3-7
  2. ^ Rees, Mic. "Templeton's day out". AustralianFootball.com. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  3. ^ Rodgers, Stephen; The Complete Book of VFL Records; p. 264. ISBN 978-1-86252-802-4
  4. ^ Blair; History of the Brownlow Medal; p. 48
  5. ^ Kelvin Templeton's player profile at AFL Tables
[edit]