Geoff Leek
Encyclopedia
Geoff Leek was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon
in the VFL
from 1951 to 1962.
to whom he was residentially bound), he played in Essendon's Thirds (under-19s), and played something like four seasons with the Seconds before becoming a regular seniors player in 1953.
He was selected as a reserve for his first senior game for Essendon. It was against Richmond
at Windy Hill
on Saturday 7 July 1951. Essendon won by four points: 10.14 (74) to Richmond's 10.10 (70).
He took a long time to develop, playing only six senior matches in 1951, and five in 1952.
He played in the highly talented 1952 Essendon Seconds Premiership team that beat Collingwood
Seconds 7.14 (56) to 4.5 (29). All but one of the premiership team's 20 players had either already played for the Essendon Firsts or would go on to do so in the future; the team was:
Excluding the senior games that some had already played (or would go on to play) with other VFL clubs, the members of the Essendon 1952 Seconds Premiership Team played an aggregate total of 1072 senior games for Essendon Firsts.
Although possessed of great speed across the ground, Leek was an ungainly ruckman with great tenacity and enormous physical strength and, despite his atrocious kicking in front of goals (he was a left-foot kick, capable of kicking long distances, but was rarely accurate), he became a regular in the Essendon senior sides of the 1950s.
He was a beautiful palmer of the ball; and towards the end of his career, as Leek's skills and knowledge of ruck play developed, and he learned how to cooperate with ruck-rover Hugh Mitchell
, and as he took over the responsibilities of the first ruck from John Gill, the club's fortunes began to rise as a real force.
He was selected in the Victorian representative team that played four matches in the Australian National Football Council's (ANFC) Centenary Carnival
held in Melbourne in 1958.
movie Ten Tall Men
, the management of the Melbourne cinema The State Theatre on the corner of Flinders Street
and Russell Street
(now known as the Forum Theatre
) measured the height of the ten tallest VFL players.
Geoff Leek was officially declared to be the tallest: at 6'4½" he was half an inch taller than the next 8 tallest players, Denis Cordner
of Melbourne
, Kevin Easton of North Melbourne
, John Gill of Essendon, Brian Gilmore
of Footscray
, Jack "Chooka" Howell
of Carlton
, Tom H. McLean of Melbourne, Bill McMaster
of Geelong
, and George Swarbrick
of Geelong (all of whom were 6'4"), and a inch taller than
Colin Thornton of North Melbourne, who was 6'3½".
Renowned for his courage and dedication as a player, his fine character as a man, and his overall good sportsmanship, he was known throughout the football world as "the gentle giant".
He almost didn't play at all due to an ankle injury — he was in doubt even half an hour before the match — and he took to the field having had a series of pain killing injections. According to Maplestone (1996, p. 193):
In 2008, team-mate Barry Capuano
revealed the full story:http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/news.asp?nid=5590
He had served on the Essendon Football Club's committee in 1957; and was made a Life Member in 1960.
He was the permanent vice-captain of the senior team from 1957 to 1962, and was acting captain on thirteen occasions (four in 1957, two in 1959, one in 1960, five in 1961, and one in 1962).
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
from 1951 to 1962.
First senior match
Recruited from the Preston Boys Club (he had been released by CollingwoodCollingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
to whom he was residentially bound), he played in Essendon's Thirds (under-19s), and played something like four seasons with the Seconds before becoming a regular seniors player in 1953.
He was selected as a reserve for his first senior game for Essendon. It was against 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,...
at Windy Hill
Windy Hill, Essendon
Windy Hill is an Australian rules football ground located in Essendon, a northwestern suburb of the Melbourne metropolitan area....
on Saturday 7 July 1951. Essendon won by four points: 10.14 (74) to Richmond's 10.10 (70).
He took a long time to develop, playing only six senior matches in 1951, and five in 1952.
He played in the highly talented 1952 Essendon Seconds Premiership team that beat Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Seconds 7.14 (56) to 4.5 (29). All but one of the premiership team's 20 players had either already played for the Essendon Firsts or would go on to do so in the future; the team was:
| Essendon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Backs | Alan Thaw Alan Thaw Alan Thaw was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL during the late 1940s and early 1950s.... |
Jack Knowles Jack Knowles Jack Knowles is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .Jack Knowles was a full back pocket in the losing Essendon team against Melbourne in the 1957 VFL Grand Final.-External links:*... |
Doug Bigelow Doug Bigelow Douglas "Doug" Bigelow was an Australian rules footballer who played 148 senior games for the Essendon Football Club from 1947 to 1956.-Career:... |
| H/Backs | Brian Paine | John Ramsay | Bob Taylor |
| Centre Line | Keith McIntosh | Hugh Morris Hugh Morris (footballer) Hugh Morris was a Welsh footballer who played for Manchester City, Sheffield United and Grimsby Town in the 19th century. He gained three caps for the Welsh national team.-Playing career:... |
Alby Law |
| H/Forwards | Greg Sewell Greg Sewell Gregory G. "Greg" Sewell was an Australian rules footballer and assistant coach for Essendon in the Victorian Football League . He was educated at University High School from 1950 to 1951, where he was a schoolmate of Alan Aylett.- Recruit :Sewell had been recruited from the local side, the Monash... |
Bill Snell | Ray Martini |
| Forwards | Brian Gilmore | Ken Reed | Stan Booth Stan Booth Stan Booth was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League during the 1950s.Booth was a rover and often rested on the half forward flank, contributing over a goal a game for Essendon... |
| Rucks/Rover | Allan Hird (c/c) | Geoff Leek | A. Taylor |
| Reserves | Mal Pascoe Mal Pascoe Malcolm L. "Mal" Pascoe is a former Australian rules footballer and coach.He played 94 senior VFL games for the Essendon Football Club from 1953 to 1958, and played 177 senior TANFL games for the Hobart Football Club from 1959 to 1966.... |
Ian Monks | |
Excluding the senior games that some had already played (or would go on to play) with other VFL clubs, the members of the Essendon 1952 Seconds Premiership Team played an aggregate total of 1072 senior games for Essendon Firsts.
Career
He eventually went on to play 191 senior games for Essendon (including 70 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960), and score 98 goals in his senior career.Although possessed of great speed across the ground, Leek was an ungainly ruckman with great tenacity and enormous physical strength and, despite his atrocious kicking in front of goals (he was a left-foot kick, capable of kicking long distances, but was rarely accurate), he became a regular in the Essendon senior sides of the 1950s.
He was a beautiful palmer of the ball; and towards the end of his career, as Leek's skills and knowledge of ruck play developed, and he learned how to cooperate with ruck-rover Hugh Mitchell
Hugh Mitchell (footballer)
Hugh Mitchell is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who played for Essendon in the VFL and Dandenong Football Club during the 1950s and 60s.-Early career at Essendon:...
, and as he took over the responsibilities of the first ruck from John Gill, the club's fortunes began to rise as a real force.
He was selected in the Victorian representative team that played four matches in the Australian National Football Council's (ANFC) Centenary Carnival
1958 Melbourne Carnival
The 1958 Melbourne Carnival was the 14th edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition...
held in Melbourne in 1958.
VFL's tallest player
In May 1952, as part of its promotion of the Burt LancasterBurt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
movie Ten Tall Men
Ten Tall Men
Ten Tall Men is a 1951 Technicolor comedy adventure film about the French Foreign Legion. It starred Burt Lancaster, Jody Lawrance and Gerald Mohr. Though co-written and directed by Willis Goldbeck, Goldbeck walked off the film due to disputes with Lancaster with the film being completed by Robert...
, the management of the Melbourne cinema The State Theatre on the corner of Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
and Russell Street
Russell Street, Melbourne
Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837. At its southern end it intersects with Flinders Street and Federation Square, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street, a street famous for its...
(now known as the Forum Theatre
Forum Theatre
The Forum Theatre is a theatre located on the corner of Flinders Street and Russell Street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. The building was designed by American architect John Eberson, who has designed many theatres across the globe, along with a local architectural firm...
) measured the height of the ten tallest VFL players.
Geoff Leek was officially declared to be the tallest: at 6'4½" he was half an inch taller than the next 8 tallest players, Denis Cordner
Denis Cordner
George Denis Pruen Cordner was an Australian rules football player. His brothers Don, John and Ted were also notable sportsmen.Denis Cordner played in the ruck in the Melbourne premiership teams in the 1948, 1955 and 1956....
of Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, Kevin Easton of 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...
, John Gill of Essendon, Brian Gilmore
Brian Gilmore
Brian Gilmore was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the VFL during the 1950s.Gilmore was a follower in Footscray's 1954 premiership side and had the honour of having the ball in his hands when the siren sounded. He also represented Victoria at interstate football...
of Footscray
Western 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...
, Jack "Chooka" Howell
Jack Howell (footballer)
Jack E. "Chooka" Howell , nicknamed "Chooka" from his distinctive gait, was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .- Three generations of Grand Final players :...
of 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...
, Tom H. McLean of Melbourne, Bill McMaster
Bill McMaster
Cyril 'Bill' McMaster is a former Australian rules footballer and a coach in the VFL.-External links:*- References :*...
of Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
, and George Swarbrick
George Swarbrick (footballer)
George Swarbrick was an Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong in the Victorian Football League during the early 1950s....
of Geelong (all of whom were 6'4"), and a inch taller than
Colin Thornton of North Melbourne, who was 6'3½".
Renowned for his courage and dedication as a player, his fine character as a man, and his overall good sportsmanship, he was known throughout the football world as "the gentle giant".
1962 Grand Final
Having played in two losing grand finals (1957 1957 VFL season#Grand Final Teams and 1959 1959 VFL season#Grand Final Teams) Leek was finally in a winning team 1962 VFL season#Grand Final Teams in the 1962 Grand Final against Carlton. This was his last game for Essendon. He completely nullified Carlton's John Nicholls, and paved the way for Essendon's victory.He almost didn't play at all due to an ankle injury — he was in doubt even half an hour before the match — and he took to the field having had a series of pain killing injections. According to Maplestone (1996, p. 193):
In 2008, team-mate Barry Capuano
Barry Capuano
Barry Capuano is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL.Wingman Barry Capuano played in a losing Grand Final in his debut season before becoming an Essendon premiership player in 1962. He made his last appearance for the club in 1966 and went on to serve in...
revealed the full story:http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/news.asp?nid=5590
Essendon Football Club
Leek surprised all at Essendon when he announced his retirement prior to the 1963 season.He had served on the Essendon Football Club's committee in 1957; and was made a Life Member in 1960.
He was the permanent vice-captain of the senior team from 1957 to 1962, and was acting captain on thirteen occasions (four in 1957, two in 1959, one in 1960, five in 1961, and one in 1962).