Heath Black

Last updated

Heath Black
Personal information
Full name Heath Black
Date of birth (1979-05-28) 28 May 1979 (age 43)
Original team(s) Oakleigh U18
Height 176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
1997 – 2001 Fremantle 069 (31)
2002 – 2004 St Kilda 054 (19)
2005 – 2008 Fremantle 069 (30)
Total192 (80)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2008.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Heath Black (born 28 May 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fremantle and St Kilda in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Contents

Football career

Noted for his speed and long left foot kicking, [1] Black was recruited with the 12th selection in the 1996 AFL Draft and began his career with Fremantle in 1997. When not selected to play for Fremantle in the AFL he played for South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and was a member of their 1997 WAFL Premiership winning side.

After spending five seasons at the Dockers, and after finishing second in the Doig Medal (best and fairest) in 2001, he was traded to St Kilda during the 2001 AFL trade period, in return for pick # 17. [2] This draft pick was then used to recruit Jeff Farmer from Melbourne. [3]

He was a vital part of the Saints' midfield during his relatively brief time there, and at the end of 2003 requested to be released so he could go back to Perth. However, the Saints lodged the trade request after the deadline and Black stayed on with St Kilda for another season. [4] At the end of 2004 he was eventually traded back to the club which he began his career at.

In 2005, Black was one of the few consistent players in a mediocre season for Fremantle. He finished fourth behind Peter Bell, Shane Parker and Matthew Pavlich, in the count for the club's best and fairest award, the Doig Medal. He also represented Australia in the 2005 International Rules series against Ireland.

On 6 August 2008, Heath Black announced his retirement from the AFL due to a combination of hip and shoulder injuries. [1]

Controversies

In February 2006, it was rumoured that Black would take part in a publicity stunt similar to the Garry Hocking "Whiskas" incident in 1998, in that Black would change his name to Heath Purple. Whilst Hocking's name change only lasted for a week, Black's would have lasted for the entire 2006 AFL season as part of a promotion with Ribena. [5] However, Black was involved in a fight at the Perth Cup on New Year Day 2006 and subsequently charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, obstructing police and assaulting a female police officer [6] The name change promotion did not eventuate. In June 2006 Black pleaded guilty to all charges and was fined $5000. [7]

Between 2007 and 2009 Black was charged in numerous alcohol related driving and violence offences. He revealed in October 2009 that he suffered from anxiety and depression. [8]

In 2012 he released his autobiography titled Black, co-written with Lisa Holland-McNair, where he revealed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar II and adult ADHD. He has started to work with the AFL Players Association to educate young people about mental health. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremantle Football Club</span> Australian rules football club

The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fremantle, a stronghold of Australian rules football in Western Australia. The Dockers were the second team from the state to be admitted to the competition, following the West Coast Eagles in 1987. Both Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles are owned by the West Australian Football Commission (WAFC), with a board of directors operating Fremantle on the commission's behalf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bell (footballer, born 1976)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1976

Peter Francis Bell is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League. He played as a rover. A former captain of the Fremantle Football Club, Bell was twice named as a member of the All-Australian Team. He was an acclaimed ball-winner and had more than 30 possessions in a game on 39 occasions in his career.

Marcus James Drum is an Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the Fremantle Football Club between 2006 and 2009 before he was traded to Geelong during the 2009 trade week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Farmer (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1977

Jeff Farmer is a former Australian rules footballer of Aboriginal descent. He was the first indigenous player to kick 400 goals in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Daniel Bandy is a former Australian rules footballer. He played as a ruckman for Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He last played for West Australian Football League (WAFL) club Claremont in 2007.

Craig William Callaghan is an Australian rules footballer who played for Fremantle and St Kilda in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played as a midfielder and forward pocket and began his football career at Swan Districts and won the Swan Medal for the fairest and best at the club in 1994.

Matthew Carr is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fremantle and St Kilda in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played as a half-back flanker and began his football career at East Fremantle. Matthew is the elder brother of Josh Carr, who also played for Fremantle and they both attended Corpus Christi College in Bateman, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Crowley</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1984

Ryan Crowley is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played as a midfielder and specialised in a tagging role.

Dale Mathew Kickett is a former Australian rules footballer. Kickett played for Fitzroy Lions, West Coast Eagles, St Kilda Saints, Essendon Bombers, and Fremantle Dockers, all being between 1990 - 2002. Kickett holds the shared record for most clubs that a single player has been in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Peake</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1983

Brett Peake is a former Australian Rules Footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and the St Kilda Football Club. He was traded from Fremantle to St Kilda during the 2009 AFL trade week.

Desmond Edmond Headland, Jr is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for Subiaco in the West Australian Football League and a conservative political candidate. He plays as a half-forward flanker or midfielder. Headland was selected with the first overall draft pick in the 1998 AFL draft by the Brisbane Lions. He had a 166-game Australian Football League career, playing for Brisbane and Fremantle.

Paul Duffield is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He plays mainly as a half back flanker and began his football career at South Fremantle Football Club in the West Australian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Sandilands</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1982

Aaron Sandilands is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). At 211cm/6'11" tall, and with a peak weight of 120 kg (265 lb), he is the second heaviest and equal tallest player to ever play in the AFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Johnson (Australian rules footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1984

Michael Johnson is a former professional Australian rules footballer, who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Graham Polak is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Andrew James Krakouer is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Scott Watters is a former Australian rules football player and coach. As a player, he was drafted from the South Fremantle Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) to the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1988. He later played for the Sydney Swans and Fremantle. He was a member of the 1985 Teal Cup winning side, the first year that Western Australia had won the national championships. As a coach, he started his career in 2006 with WAFL team Subiaco, followed by a stint as an assistant coach with the Collingwood Football Club from 2010 to 2011. Watters then became the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club, following Ross Lyon's departure, for two seasons from 2012 to 2013.

Greg Broughton is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tendai Mzungu</span> Australian rules footballer

Tendai Mzungu is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). Mzungu represented the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) before being recruited to Fremantle at the end of the 2010 season, and made his debut for the club the following season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Hill (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

Bradley Hill is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 2012 to 2016, and for the Fremantle Football Club between 2017 and 2019. He is a very quick running player who plays as a wingman.

References

  1. 1 2 Morfesse, Luke (6 August 2008). "Heath Black announces his retirement".
  2. ↑ "Trading: What they got". The Age. 10 October 2001.
  3. ↑ Dagge, John; Ryan, Melissa (7 October 2001). "Trade deal brings Eade closer to Hall". Sun Herald.
  4. ↑ Pearce, Linda (8 May 2004). "Time forces Black back to reality with Saints". The Age.
  5. ↑ Milstead, Roger (4 February 2006). "Purple the new Heath Black". Archived from the original on 21 February 2006.
  6. ↑ "AFL star Black to go on trial". 24 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006.
  7. ↑ "Black regrets officer assault". 19 June 2006.
  8. ↑ Cox, Nicole (14 October 2009). "Heath Black on 0.08 charge, found asleep at wheel of car". Archived from the original on 10 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Connolly, Rohan (6 April 2012). "Hell and Black".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.