Brendan Fevola
Encyclopedia
Brendan Fevola is a professional Australian rules football
er. He played with the Carlton
and Brisbane Lions
football clubs in the Australian Football League
.
Fevola is currently regarded as one of the most effective full-forward
s in the AFL, having won the Coleman Medal
for league leading goalkicker in 2006 and 2009 (kicking 84 and 86 goals respectively) as well as All-Australian selection as a forward three times since 2006. His representative honours include playing for Victoria where he was awarded the Allen Aylett Medal for being the state team's best player and leading goalkicker. During his career at Carlton, he was the club's leading goalkicker and key forward from 2003 until 2009. However, throughout his career he has been a controversial figure off the field, which ultimately led to his parting company with both of his AFL clubs.
) and Karen Ralph in 1981. His parents split when he was eight years old. For a short time he attended a Catholic school.
Fevola began playing football with the Beaconsfield Junior Football Club in the Dandenong & District Junior Football League before playing senior football in the Victorian Country Football League. His ability to kick goals for the Dandenong Stingrays earned him selection in the TAC Cup Team of the Year in 1998 and attracted the eye of recruiters and was one of three talented AFL prospects featured in the television documentary "The Draft".
with selection No. 38 overall in the 1998 AFL Draft
. Early in his career he showed signs of being a brilliant kick of the ball and a prospective key position player at full forward. During a pre-season game on 31 December 1999 against Collingwood
(promoted as the "Millennium Match"), he kicked 12 goals.
The promising talent was given the No. 25 guernsey made famous by Carlton legend Alex Jesaulenko
.
However Fevola struggled to maintain form over the next few years, playing in 39 games and kicking 66 goals between 2000 and 2002, with noticeably poor body language on-field as well as causing bad publicity through incidents off-field. Carlton coach Wayne Brittain
had intended to trade or delist Fevola at the end of the 2002 season; however, after Carlton's poor season (in which it won the wooden spoon
) Brittain was himself sacked, and incoming coach Denis Pagan
reversed Brittain's decision.
Pagan's arrival had an immediate impact on Fevola's discipline and form. In Round 5, 2003, Fevola kicked 8 goals against the Kangaroos
, helping win the game for Carlton and launching himself into the eyes of AFL viewers. Fevola's unkempt dreadlocks
and extroverted personality in the media earned him the nickname "The Shag" by fans. He was one of the few shining lights in a Carlton team plagued by its salary cap scandal
which prevented the club from rebuilding its playing list after the retirements of many of its greatest ever players.
Fevola's early goalkicking inconsistency saw him experiment with unorthodox styles of handling the ball in approach to taking set shots. In 2004, Fevola developed a ritualistic set-shot routine of taking three quick steps to shoot on goal, and this resulted in a significant increase in goalkicking accuracy, particularly from long distance. The duration of his ritual, at times taking longer than a minute, became a point of contention, and was partially responsible for the introduction of a new rule in 2006 (commonly referred to as "the Lloyd
Rule"), limiting the duration permitted to take a set shot to 30 seconds, before play-on would be called. Fevola's ritual was duly shortened to accommodate the new rule.
In 2006, Fevola capped off a stunning year and his best to that point by kicking 84 goals and winning the Coleman Medal
and All-Australian selection. He scored 59 goals in 2007, then followed this up in 2008 with his career best of 99 goals for the season, seeing him finish second behind Lance Franklin
in the race for the Coleman Medal. He was selected for Victoria
in the once-off AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match in 2008, kicking six goals and winning the Allen Aylett Medal as best on ground.
In 2009, Fevola won his second Coleman Medal
, kicking 86 goals for the season, eight goals clear of the runner up Jonathan Brown. He is the only Carlton player ever to win the League goal-kicking twice, and it was his seventh consecutive season as the club's leading goalkicker; only Stephen Kernahan
(11) had won the award more times consecutively.
Carlton announced on 30 September 2009 that it would seek a trade for Fevola during the 2009 trade week due to his off-field behaviour, most specifically due to antics at the 2009 Brownlow Medal
Count. On 9 October, he was officially traded to the Brisbane Lions
, along with a second round draft pick (#27 overall) in exchange for Brisbane's Lachlan Henderson
and a first round draft pick (#12 overall). Additionally, Carlton agreed to pay $100,000 of Fevola's salary for each of the two years remaining on his existing contract. Fevola left Carlton as a life member of the club, after playing 187 senior games for 575 goals – the third most goals by any player in Carlton Football Club history. Despite the circumstances of his departure, Carlton has stated that Fevola's life membership was not affected, and that he remained welcome at the club.
on 14 February 2010. The following Friday afternoon, a trial match against his old club Carlton
at Visy Park attracted 10,000 fans. He made his senior debut for the Lions in the first round of the 2010 season at the Gabba
against the West Coast Eagles
.
In 2010, his only season at the Brisbane Lions, Fevola played 17 games for 48 goals. He was dogged by further off-field controversy over the 2010/11 offseason, and was officially sacked by the club on 20 February 2011.
in the Victorian Football League
in 2011. He kicked 63 goals during the home and away season, with 43 of those coming in the final six games of the season, to finish second behind Port Melbourne
's Patrick Rose (67 goals) in the league goalkicking, and he kicked a further six goals in finals. His contract with the Scorpions was not renewed for 2012. Fevola played a few games for Waratah
in the 2011/12 NTFL
season.
In matches outside the AFL premiership, Fevola's best effort was a haul of twelve goals, scored for Carlton against Collingwood in the 2000 pre-season match known as the Millennium Match; and, he had two other eight-goal hauls in pre-season matches: the 2005 Wizard Cup
grand final against West Coast
, earning him the Michael Tuck Medal
, and in the semi-final of the 2007 NAB Cup against North Melbourne
. He scored hauls of eleven and ten goals in matches for Casey
during the 2011 VFL season, against Frankston
and the Northern Bullants
respectively.
on the Nine Network
, and was noted for his larrikin persona. His tenure as a panellist ended after his behaviour at the 2009 Brownlow Medal Count, the same event which led to the end of his time at Carlton.
at St John's Church in Toorak
. However, on 12 December 2006 it was announced that they were separated after 14 months of marriage, amid allegations of Fevola's infidelity with an Australian model, rumoured to be Lara Bingle
. Alex stated in a Woman's Day
interview that Fevola had become "disconnected" from her following the birth of Leni. Bingle later confessed to the five week affair, claiming that being a Sydney girl, she did not know that Fevola was married until she heard his baby in the background during a phone conversation.
Fevola has three daughters, Mia (Alex's child from a previous relationship), Leni and Lulu.
Fevola owned a restaurant called Fellini located in Toorak Road, South Yarra. Fevola has also been noted as studying criminology via correspondence at Griffith University
and says that becoming a police officer is a possible career after football.
, and underwent 51 days of extensive rehabilitation in 2011; both his agent and manager have associated many of Fevola's antics with his depression.
In 2001, he was involved in an attempted theft of jackets from a drycleaners in North Melbourne; he was fined $8000 by Carlton for the incident. On 8 March 2004, he was involved in an incident at Crown Casino
; no charges were laid, but he was suspended by Carlton for a week. In 2006 Fevola assaulted a barman during a tour of Ireland in 2006 with the Australian International Rules team, and was sent back to Australia. In March 2008, Fevola was fined $10,000 by the club and stood down from the leadership group after urinating on a window outside a Melbourne nightclub. After this incident, Carlton did not suspend or delist Fevola, saying that taking such action would not assist Fevola in addressing his problems, but he was put on his final warning.
In September 2009, Fevola was fined $10,000 and banned from appearing on the Grand Final Footy Show after behaving inappropriately at the 2009 Brownlow Medal
count. Fevola withdrew from the traditional lap of honour by the Coleman Medal
list at the 2009 AFL Grand Final
and did not attend Carlton's award night. As a result of the incident, he was traded to the Brisbane Lions, and did not return as a panellist on The Footy Show in 2010.
On 2 March 2010, Lara Bingle
started proceedings to sue Fevola for breach of privacy, defamation and misuse of her image for the release of a nude photo in Woman's Day
released on 1 March 2010; but on 9 April, Fevola was cleared of the charges against him. In September 2010 it was announced that Queensland police had launched a formal investigation into claims that Fevola had flashed a woman at a Brisbane park during a football clinic, but again there were no charges laid; the Brisbane Lions Football Club also suspended him independently while it conducted its own investigation into the event.
Early on 1 January 2011, New Year's Day, Fevola was arrested in Brisbane on charges of public nuisance and obstructing police. He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on 18 January. The Brisbane Lions Football Club granted him indefinite leave, before terminating his contract after receiving medical advice.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er. He played with the Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
and Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
football clubs in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
.
Fevola is currently regarded as one of the most effective full-forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
s in the AFL, having won the Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
for league leading goalkicker in 2006 and 2009 (kicking 84 and 86 goals respectively) as well as All-Australian selection as a forward three times since 2006. His representative honours include playing for Victoria where he was awarded the Allen Aylett Medal for being the state team's best player and leading goalkicker. During his career at Carlton, he was the club's leading goalkicker and key forward from 2003 until 2009. However, throughout his career he has been a controversial figure off the field, which ultimately led to his parting company with both of his AFL clubs.
Early life
Brendan Fevola was born to parents Angelo Fevola (an Italian Australian who represented Victoria in lacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
) and Karen Ralph in 1981. His parents split when he was eight years old. For a short time he attended a Catholic school.
Fevola began playing football with the Beaconsfield Junior Football Club in the Dandenong & District Junior Football League before playing senior football in the Victorian Country Football League. His ability to kick goals for the Dandenong Stingrays earned him selection in the TAC Cup Team of the Year in 1998 and attracted the eye of recruiters and was one of three talented AFL prospects featured in the television documentary "The Draft".
Carlton
Fevola was recruited to Carlton Football ClubCarlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
with selection No. 38 overall in the 1998 AFL Draft
1998 AFL Draft
The 1998 AFL Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.In 1998 there...
. Early in his career he showed signs of being a brilliant kick of the ball and a prospective key position player at full forward. During a pre-season game on 31 December 1999 against Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
(promoted as the "Millennium Match"), he kicked 12 goals.
The promising talent was given the No. 25 guernsey made famous by Carlton legend Alex Jesaulenko
Alex Jesaulenko
Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame...
.
However Fevola struggled to maintain form over the next few years, playing in 39 games and kicking 66 goals between 2000 and 2002, with noticeably poor body language on-field as well as causing bad publicity through incidents off-field. Carlton coach Wayne Brittain
Wayne Brittain
Wayne Brittain is a former coach of the Australian Football League.- Career :In his playing career, he did not play in the AFL, instead he played for Zillmere Eagles in the Queensland State League. He eventually suffered a back injury which ended his career...
had intended to trade or delist Fevola at the end of the 2002 season; however, after Carlton's poor season (in which it won the wooden spoon
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
) Brittain was himself sacked, and incoming coach Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.-Playing career:...
reversed Brittain's decision.
Pagan's arrival had an immediate impact on Fevola's discipline and form. In Round 5, 2003, Fevola kicked 8 goals against the Kangaroos
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
, helping win the game for Carlton and launching himself into the eyes of AFL viewers. Fevola's unkempt dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
and extroverted personality in the media earned him the nickname "The Shag" by fans. He was one of the few shining lights in a Carlton team plagued by its salary cap scandal
Carlton Football Club salary cap breach
The Carlton Football Club salary cap breach was the breach of the Australian Football League's salary cap by the Carlton Football Club, primarily in the late 1990s and early 2000s...
which prevented the club from rebuilding its playing list after the retirements of many of its greatest ever players.
Fevola's early goalkicking inconsistency saw him experiment with unorthodox styles of handling the ball in approach to taking set shots. In 2004, Fevola developed a ritualistic set-shot routine of taking three quick steps to shoot on goal, and this resulted in a significant increase in goalkicking accuracy, particularly from long distance. The duration of his ritual, at times taking longer than a minute, became a point of contention, and was partially responsible for the introduction of a new rule in 2006 (commonly referred to as "the Lloyd
Matthew Lloyd
Matthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
Rule"), limiting the duration permitted to take a set shot to 30 seconds, before play-on would be called. Fevola's ritual was duly shortened to accommodate the new rule.
In 2006, Fevola capped off a stunning year and his best to that point by kicking 84 goals and winning the Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
and All-Australian selection. He scored 59 goals in 2007, then followed this up in 2008 with his career best of 99 goals for the season, seeing him finish second behind Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...
in the race for the Coleman Medal. He was selected for Victoria
Victoria Australian rules football team
The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....
in the once-off AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match in 2008, kicking six goals and winning the Allen Aylett Medal as best on ground.
In 2009, Fevola won his second Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
, kicking 86 goals for the season, eight goals clear of the runner up Jonathan Brown. He is the only Carlton player ever to win the League goal-kicking twice, and it was his seventh consecutive season as the club's leading goalkicker; only Stephen Kernahan
Stephen Kernahan
Stephen Scott Kernahan is a former Australian rules footballer best known for his career with the Carlton Football Club of the Australian Football League and the Glenelg Football Club of the SANFL from 1981 until 1997...
(11) had won the award more times consecutively.
Carlton announced on 30 September 2009 that it would seek a trade for Fevola during the 2009 trade week due to his off-field behaviour, most specifically due to antics at the 2009 Brownlow Medal
2009 Brownlow Medal
-Voting Procedure:The three field umpires confer after each match and award 3 votes, 2 votes and 1 vote to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best in the match respectively.-Ineligible players:As the award is for the Best and Fairest player in the league, players found guilty...
Count. On 9 October, he was officially traded to the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
, along with a second round draft pick (#27 overall) in exchange for Brisbane's Lachlan Henderson
Lachlan Henderson
Lachlan Stuart Henderson is a current Australian rules football player for the Carlton Football Club.- Pre-AFL career :...
and a first round draft pick (#12 overall). Additionally, Carlton agreed to pay $100,000 of Fevola's salary for each of the two years remaining on his existing contract. Fevola left Carlton as a life member of the club, after playing 187 senior games for 575 goals – the third most goals by any player in Carlton Football Club history. Despite the circumstances of his departure, Carlton has stated that Fevola's life membership was not affected, and that he remained welcome at the club.
Brisbane Lions
At Brisbane, Fevola was given the Number 5 guernsey. He made his debut in Brisbane colours in the NAB Cup loss to the Western BulldogsWestern Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
on 14 February 2010. The following Friday afternoon, a trial match against his old club Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
at Visy Park attracted 10,000 fans. He made his senior debut for the Lions in the first round of the 2010 season at the Gabba
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
against the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
.
In 2010, his only season at the Brisbane Lions, Fevola played 17 games for 48 goals. He was dogged by further off-field controversy over the 2010/11 offseason, and was officially sacked by the club on 20 February 2011.
Post-AFL
On 6 April 2011, Fevola signed to play with the Casey ScorpionsCasey Scorpions
The Casey Scorpions Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the Victorian Football League . The club was founded in 1903 as the Springvale Football Club and played under the name Springvale. In its history it has won 21 premierships...
in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
in 2011. He kicked 63 goals during the home and away season, with 43 of those coming in the final six games of the season, to finish second behind Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne Football Club
The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne and is currently playing in the Victorian Football League ....
's Patrick Rose (67 goals) in the league goalkicking, and he kicked a further six goals in finals. His contract with the Scorpions was not renewed for 2012. Fevola played a few games for Waratah
Waratah Football Club
The Waratah Football Club, nicknamed, Warriors, is a member club of the Northern Territory Football League.-External links:**...
in the 2011/12 NTFL
Northern Territory Football League
The Northern Territory Football League is an 8 team Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.The premier grade is the largest Australian rules football league in the Northern Territory...
season.
Best career games
Fevola's best goalkicking haul in an AFL match was nine goals, scored for Carlton against Richmond in 2009. Prior to this, he had scored eight goals on eight separate occasions. In his one season with the Brisbane Lions, Fevola's highest tally was 5.2 (32).| Round | Year | Team | Opponent | Goals | Behinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 15 | 2009 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
Richmond Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,... |
9 | 1 |
| Round 12 | 2008 | Carlton | Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
8 | 6 |
| Round 13 | 2004 | Carlton | Richmond | 8 | 5 |
| Round 3 | 2008 | Carlton | Essendon Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
8 | 4 |
| Round 6 | 2009 | Carlton | Hawthorn Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys... |
8 | 4 |
| Round 19 | 2006 | Carlton | Hawthorn | 8 | 3 |
| Round 11 | 2009 | Carlton | Brisbane | 8 | 3 |
| Round 3 | 2007 | Carlton | Essendon | 8 | 2 |
| Round 5 | 2003 | Carlton | North Melbourne North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world... |
8 | 2 |
In matches outside the AFL premiership, Fevola's best effort was a haul of twelve goals, scored for Carlton against Collingwood in the 2000 pre-season match known as the Millennium Match; and, he had two other eight-goal hauls in pre-season matches: the 2005 Wizard Cup
Australian Football League pre-season competition
The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Football League premiership season...
grand final against West Coast
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
, earning him the Michael Tuck Medal
Michael Tuck Medal
Since 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final. It is named after Michael Tuck, the current AFL games record holder who played 426 senior matches for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1972 and 1991....
, and in the semi-final of the 2007 NAB Cup against North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
. He scored hauls of eleven and ten goals in matches for Casey
Casey Scorpions
The Casey Scorpions Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the Victorian Football League . The club was founded in 1903 as the Springvale Football Club and played under the name Springvale. In its history it has won 21 premierships...
during the 2011 VFL season, against Frankston
Frankston Football Club
Frankston Football Club, nicknamed The Dolphins, is an Australian rules football club based in Frankston, Victoria and currently playing in the Victorian Football League. The club was formed in 1887. The Dolphins have no alignments to any AFL clubs.-Peninsula Football Association:Frankston was a...
and the Northern Bullants
Northern Bullants
Northern Blues Football Club is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston and currently playing in the Victorian Football League representing the central and outer areas of Melbourne...
respectively.
Playing honours
- Michael Tuck MedalMichael Tuck MedalSince 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final. It is named after Michael Tuck, the current AFL games record holder who played 426 senior matches for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1972 and 1991....
2005 - Coleman MedalColeman MedalThe Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
2006, 2009 - All Australian 2006, 2008, 2009
- Carlton leading goalkicker 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- 3rd - Most Career Goals For Carlton - 575*
- NAB Cup Premiership Player 2005, 2007
- Australian International Rules squad 2006 (did not play for disciplinary reasons)
- VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century 2007
- Victorian State Representative In Hall Of Fame Tribute Match
- Allen Aylett Medallist
Media career
Fevola was a regular panellist on The Footy ShowThe AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...
on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, and was noted for his larrikin persona. His tenure as a panellist ended after his behaviour at the 2009 Brownlow Medal Count, the same event which led to the end of his time at Carlton.
Personal life
On 7 October 2005, Fevola married Alex CheathamAlex Fevola
Alex Fevola is an Australian photographer and ex-wife of former AFL footballer Brendan Fevola.She married Brendan Fevola on 7 October 2005 at St John's Church, Toorak. However, in December 2006 it was announced that they were separated after 14 months of marriage, amid allegations of Fevola's...
at St John's Church in Toorak
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
. However, on 12 December 2006 it was announced that they were separated after 14 months of marriage, amid allegations of Fevola's infidelity with an Australian model, rumoured to be Lara Bingle
Lara Bingle
Lara Bingle is an Australian fashion model who is best known for appearing in the 2006 Tourism Australia advertising campaign So where the bloody hell are you? She is also known for being the former fiancee of Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke and girlfriend of AFL footballer Brendon...
. Alex stated in a Woman's Day
Woman's Day (Australian magazine)
Woman's Day is an Australian magazine published by ACP Magazines. It is the second largest magazine in Australia. The magazine recently underwent significant layoffs....
interview that Fevola had become "disconnected" from her following the birth of Leni. Bingle later confessed to the five week affair, claiming that being a Sydney girl, she did not know that Fevola was married until she heard his baby in the background during a phone conversation.
Fevola has three daughters, Mia (Alex's child from a previous relationship), Leni and Lulu.
Fevola owned a restaurant called Fellini located in Toorak Road, South Yarra. Fevola has also been noted as studying criminology via correspondence at Griffith University
Griffith University
Griffith University is a public, coeducational, research university located in the southeastern region of the Australian state of Queensland. The university has five satellite campuses located in the Gold Coast, Logan City and in the Brisbane suburbs of Mount Gravatt, Nathan and South Bank. Current...
and says that becoming a police officer is a possible career after football.
Controversies and legal issues
Fevola's successful on-field career has been continually contrasted with his controversial off-field behaviour. He has been diagnosed with depressionDepression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, and underwent 51 days of extensive rehabilitation in 2011; both his agent and manager have associated many of Fevola's antics with his depression.
In 2001, he was involved in an attempted theft of jackets from a drycleaners in North Melbourne; he was fined $8000 by Carlton for the incident. On 8 March 2004, he was involved in an incident at Crown Casino
Crown Casino
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited....
; no charges were laid, but he was suspended by Carlton for a week. In 2006 Fevola assaulted a barman during a tour of Ireland in 2006 with the Australian International Rules team, and was sent back to Australia. In March 2008, Fevola was fined $10,000 by the club and stood down from the leadership group after urinating on a window outside a Melbourne nightclub. After this incident, Carlton did not suspend or delist Fevola, saying that taking such action would not assist Fevola in addressing his problems, but he was put on his final warning.
In September 2009, Fevola was fined $10,000 and banned from appearing on the Grand Final Footy Show after behaving inappropriately at the 2009 Brownlow Medal
2009 Brownlow Medal
-Voting Procedure:The three field umpires confer after each match and award 3 votes, 2 votes and 1 vote to the players they regard as the best, second best and third best in the match respectively.-Ineligible players:As the award is for the Best and Fairest player in the league, players found guilty...
count. Fevola withdrew from the traditional lap of honour by the Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
list at the 2009 AFL Grand Final
2009 AFL Grand Final
The 2009 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the St Kilda Football Club and the Geelong Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26 September 2009...
and did not attend Carlton's award night. As a result of the incident, he was traded to the Brisbane Lions, and did not return as a panellist on The Footy Show in 2010.
On 2 March 2010, Lara Bingle
Lara Bingle
Lara Bingle is an Australian fashion model who is best known for appearing in the 2006 Tourism Australia advertising campaign So where the bloody hell are you? She is also known for being the former fiancee of Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke and girlfriend of AFL footballer Brendon...
started proceedings to sue Fevola for breach of privacy, defamation and misuse of her image for the release of a nude photo in Woman's Day
Woman's Day (Australian magazine)
Woman's Day is an Australian magazine published by ACP Magazines. It is the second largest magazine in Australia. The magazine recently underwent significant layoffs....
released on 1 March 2010; but on 9 April, Fevola was cleared of the charges against him. In September 2010 it was announced that Queensland police had launched a formal investigation into claims that Fevola had flashed a woman at a Brisbane park during a football clinic, but again there were no charges laid; the Brisbane Lions Football Club also suspended him independently while it conducted its own investigation into the event.
Early on 1 January 2011, New Year's Day, Fevola was arrested in Brisbane on charges of public nuisance and obstructing police. He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on 18 January. The Brisbane Lions Football Club granted him indefinite leave, before terminating his contract after receiving medical advice.