Hope someone can make notes.
Talking about kicking 11 against Footscray but losing. Says that is was just a funny day and the ball kept on coming to him but he kicked 11 out of 14.
Says that Tuddy was a very hard man to please. It only mattered if we won, even if you kicked 11 or 1.
When leaving the club, it was about taking a promotion with work to WA. He observed players around him getting serious injuries and that he needed to look after himself for ‘outside footy’.
Now lives in Adelaide, rapt about the new Adelaide ground.
Considering what you do for us Jackie, I hit the record button & will up it to dropbox for you later.
Playing with glasses, says he had contact glasses but they weren’t soft lenses so they would fall out. Then tried steel rim frames but the full backs complained. Then went to a nylon frame with a lens designed to fall out and not damage his eyes. They were very robust.
Still follows Essendon.
Geoff left Essendon at the end of the 1972 season to pursue a career in the textile industry in Perth. He continued his football career at Claremont where he played from 1973 to 1975. Incidentally, I think the year he switched from Essendon to Clarement coincided with Graham Moss switching from Claremont to Essendon. In Geoff's first year at Claremont he kicked 76 goals but after that year was plagued with hamstring injuries. He returned to Essendon in 1976.
Missed the first 10 seconds or so. He's talking about the game below ...
Talking about kicking 11 against Footscray but losing. Says that is was just a funny day and the ball kept on coming to him but he kicked 11 out of 14.
http://www.filedropper.com/blethyn
Not sure if that one's working, if not..
Thanks so much for this. Geoff was my favourite player when I was a young lad. Great to hear him looking back. Fantastic player.
Missed the first 10 seconds or so. He's talking about the game below ...
Talking about kicking 11 against Footscray but losing. Says that is was just a funny day and the ball kept on coming to him but he kicked 11 out of 14.
http://www.filedropper.com/blethyn
Not sure if that one's working, if not..
Thank you Hoffy and Bloodstained Devils. I got to hear the interview in the end - he was a fantastic high mark just went straight up. Another Essendon full forward in the seconds - McFarlane - also wore glasses.
I think that they overlooked asking Geoff the obvious question. How did you (Geoff) cope with wet conditions which would have severely impacted on your vision?
Thank you Hoffy and Bloodstained Devils. I got to hear the interview in the end - he was a fantastic high mark just went straight up. Another Essendon full forward in the seconds - McFarlane - also wore glasses.
Not only a great speccy, Blethyn was a great kick too. Kicked many of his goals from a long way out, torps were his and Noonans' signature goals.
I remember him well!
I remember him. He was there in what were really the darkest years for the club in my memory (the past hald dozen come close). He was our best player at that time, although Ken Fletcher was pretty good too. He’s remembered as a full forward, but he played a lot of games on the wing as well and dominated them from that position. A really decent human being as well as a champion footballer.
We made the finals in 72 for the first time since 68 I think by heroically beating the pies in the final round. We had plenty of good players. Noonan, Fields, Tuddy, and er (cough) yours truly just to name a few....
Don't forget that he kicked 4 goals in the 68 Grand final when he came in when captain Ken Fraser was injured. Noonan had been playing FF and was moved to CHF in Fraser's absence and we got within three points of a flag.
Great mark, great kick and it seems good bloke.
The only adjective ever used to describe him in the media was "bespectacled." I was at the Junction Oval in 1972 when he kicked his 100th goal against Fitzroy. Problem was he missed his first shot. But that didn't stop thousands running onto the ground. I think there was more running on when he missed than did when he nailed the ton.
I think the '68 GF was his first game. Might be wrong.
I was at that game and it was a windy day. Carlton dominated early but only kicked one goal after half time. Only side to kick one goal after half time and win a GF.
I remember one incident where Wes Lofts - the Carlton full back - just about murdered Ted Fordham and no free kick was paid. Broke his ribs I think. Another incident where late in the game Blethyn almost had his head pulled off and no free again.
Crouch was the umpire. Always thought we got robbed that day.
Played footy against him in the under age comps back in my younger days. He played for St. Andrews at Brearley Oval in Pascoe Vale. Just dominated every game he played in and won many Comp B&Fs. Used to stand on guys shoulders but was quick and elusive. He often kicked goals from near the centre (smaller grounds) with raking torps.
He was a form 4 student and played in the school senior side at Strathmore High. He played in the centre most games and I recollect he averaged 4 goals a game. Nobody could stop him. He wasn't that big and in fact small for a KPP at about 182-183cm and 80 odd Kg (wringing wet).
Was a dominant player for the Essendon U/19s at 16 under then coach Allan Thaw. At 17 and year 12 student he played in the 1968 GF and kicked half our goals. Only for a blind maggot missing the free to Lurch 30m out he would have been a premiership player.
I was fortunate to be at the junction oval the day he kicked his 100th goal. And duds don't kick 100 goals in a season.
I knew him quite well and he was a natural at any sport. But despite his heroics he was a modest and shy guy.