Katamatite FC players who played in the VFL/AFL

 

 

Tom Clurey

Full name
Tom Clurey

Born
23 March 1994 (age 26)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 358d
Last game: 26y 207d

Games
99*

Height and weight
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 88 kg

Senior clubs
Port Adelaide

Jumper numbers
Port Adelaide: 17

 

Tom Clurey was drafted by Port Adelaide with the 29th selection in the Australian Football League's (AFL) 2012 National Draft from Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup.

Clurey is a tall defender that is known for his endurance, this was shown in the NAB AFL combine where he recorded a beep test result of 15.1, which set him apart from all other tall defenders at the camp. Originally from a sheep and canola farm in the township of Katamatite, near Shepparton, he made his AFL debut in round 1, 2014, against Carlton.

Clurey took a developmental step forward in 2015, playing 8 games at AFL level and improving his consistency in the SANFL. He broke through mid-year to play 8 out of 10 games, covering for injuries to Alipate Carlile and Jackson Trengove. He predominantly played on the second or third tall and beat the likes of Jesse White, Patrick Ambrose, Stewart Crameri, and Jeremy Howe during the year. Impressive with the ball, he became a safe user coming out of the backline, where his intercept marking and 3rd up spoiling was also a feature.

 

Samuel Wright

Full name
Samuel Wright

Known as
Sam Wright

Born
15 July 1990

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 305d
Last game: 28y 301d

Games
136

Goals
58

Height and weight
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 86 kg

Senior clubs
North Melbourne; North Melbourne Reserves

Jumper numbers
North Melbourne: 37, 19

 

Wright was drafted by North Melbourne with the 27th overall selection of the 2008 AFL Draft from the Murray Bushrangers. He made his debut on 16 May 2009 against Geelong and received a Rising Star nomination in round 21, 2010.

Wright's career was disrupted in 2016 and 2017 by a series of sesamoid bone fractures in his foot and ankle, and two ruptured ligaments, requiring five ankle surgeries. Wright turned to ballet for physical therapy, guided by Sue Mayes, the principal physiotherapist with The Australian Ballet. Wright returned on 5 May 2018 for a two-point win over Sydney, collecting 18 possessions and seven marks in his first AFL game in 701 days

 

Gary Cameron

Full name
Gary Cameron

Born
14 June 1966

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 20y 359d
Last game: 23y 347d

Games
26

Goals
18

Height and weight
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 70 kg

Senior clubs
Geelong; South Adelaide

Jumper numbers
Geelong: 13

Recruited from
Geelong (1991)

 

Cameron, a Katamatite recruit, who won the Tungamah Football League best and fairest award, the Lawless Medal in 1986, played eight games for Geelong in each of his first two seasons, 1987 and 1988. He appeared in the final five rounds of the 1989 VFL season but didn't take part in Geelong's finals series. After another five games in 1990, Cameron left to play for South Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

In 2007, Cameron briefly served as caretaker coach of South Adelaide, when coach Robert Pyman was sacked. Cameron was a coach for four rounds

 

Michael Howard

Full name
Michael Howard

Born
8 March 1965 (age 55)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 170d
Last game: 19y 177d

Games
2

Height and weight
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 67 kg

Senior clubs
Melbourne

Jumper numbers
Melbourne: 58

 

Darren Flanigan

 

Full name
Darren Flanigan

Born
8 March 1962 (age 58)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 160d
Last game: 30y 118d

Games
138

Goals
54

Height and weight
Height: 200 cm
Weight: 105 kg

Senior clubs
Geelong; St. Kilda

Jumper numbers
Geelong: 44, 14
St. Kilda: 10

Recruited from
Geelong (1992)

 

Darren Flanigan was a capable ruckman who always gave his all and when fired up could be a formidable presence both in ruck contests and around the ground. He joined Geelong from Katamatite and took his league bows in 1981 and went on to play 130 games for the Cats in eleven seasons, kicking 50 goals. As these numbers suggest he was not always a first-choice senior player for the simple reason that Geelong at this time had a surfeit of high-quality ruckmen.

Selected to represent Victoria in 1985 Flanigan also spent time in the reserves the same season. He put in a highly commendable performance for the Cats in their narrow grand final loss to Hawthorn in 1989.

Flanigan crossed to St Kilda in 1992 where he played 8 games and kicked 4 goals before retiring. He later served as the AFL Victoria female football manager

 

Bill Lumsden

Full name
William Lumsden

Known as
Bill Lumsden

Born
24 December 1924

Died
7 September 1988 (aged 63)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 23y 122d
Last game: 24y 190d

Games
11

Height and weight
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg

Senior clubs
St. Kilda

Jumper numbers
St. Kilda: 13

 

Lumsden was recruited to St. Kilda from Katamatite Football Club after he won the 1947 - O'Dwyer Medal in the Murray Football League.

He also served in the RAAF in World War II.

 

Rod McGregor

Full name
Rod McGregor

Born
19 October 1882

Died
2 August 1962 (aged 79)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 22y 206d
Last game: 37y 195d

Games
236

Goals
26

Height and weight
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 75 kg

Senior clubs
Carlton

Jumper numbers
Carlton: 8, 11, 19

Along with wingmen George Bruce and Edward Kennedy, elusive, poised, and abundantly skilled centreman Rod McGregor gave Carlton one of the greatest centrelines in the history of the game. In 1906-7-8, with this trio to the fore, the Blues won 51 out of 59 matches contested en route to three consecutive premierships. McGregor actually missed the 1907 premiership triumph over South Melbourne after breaking his nose in the previous week's Semi-Final against St Kilda, but overall his impact during those three golden years was probably unequaled.

McGregor joined Carlton in 1905 after commencing his senior career with Essendon Association, and over the ensuing decade and a half he went on to amass an incredible total, for the period, of 236 VFL games, which remained a club record until broken by John Nicholls. In addition to the 1906 and 1908 premierships, McGregor was a driving force in 1914-15 when Carlton went 'back to back'. His omission from the club's official 'Team of the Century' seems, on the face of it, completely inexplicable.