Brad Green (footballer)

Brad Green (born 13 March 1981) is a former Australian rules football player and current executive. He played for 13 seasons with the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Drafted with the 19th selection in the 1999 AFL Draft, Green played in a losing Grand Final in his first season. In 2010 he won the club's best and fairest award and was the club's leading goalkicker, with many commentators stating he was unlucky to miss out on All-Australian selection. Green was named Melbourne's captain for the next season, but the appointment was short-lived as he held the position for only one year. He also represented the Australian International rules football team in 2004, 2010 and 2011, captaining the side in 2011.

Brad Green
Brad Green playing for Melbourne
during the 2007 AFL season
Personal information
Full name Brad Green
Date of birth (1981-03-13) 13 March 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth George Town, Tasmania
Original team(s) Tassie Mariners
Draft No. 19, 1999 National Draft
Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 83 kg (13 st 1 lb; 183 lb)
Position(s) Forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2000–2012 Melbourne 254 (350)
International team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2004–2011 Australia 6 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2012.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2011.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Green was an assistant coach having at the Carlton Football Club from 2013 to 2015.[1][2] He then served as an assistant at North Melbourne through 2017.[3]

As of 6 September 2024, Green serves as President of the Melbourne Football Club.[4]

Early life

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Green was born in Georgetown, Tasmania. A natural sportsman, Green played representative cricket and soccer as a teenager and captained the Australian under-15 cricket team. Green is an alumni from Victoria University.

Soccer career

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While still a teenager, Green was selected for the senior soccer side at Launceston United SC in the Tasmanian soccer championship. Green attended the Launceston Church Grammar School in Tasmania, and later Victoria University and La Trobe University. During his early soccer-playing days as a teenager, he was scouted by Manchester United.[5] After spending a month at on trial with the club, the 15-year-old Green trained with Walsall, a lower division English club, and was offered a contract but turned it down, choosing to finish his schooling in Tasmania.

Green remains a soccer fan and supporter of Melbourne Victory.[6]

Switch to Australian rules

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Green only began playing Australian rules seriously in his mid-teens – after returning from England – but his talent was obvious. Green decided to focus his sporting attention on the local game playing for the Tassie Mariners and North Launceston. He was subsequently drafted to Melbourne in the 1999 AFL Draft.[7]

AFL career

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Green made his AFL debut in 2000. Melbourne had a highly successful year in 2000 and in his first year of AFL football Green played an important role in the Melbourne forward line. Melbourne made the Grand Final, but were ultimately unsuccessful, losing to Essendon.

After working his way into a greater role in the midfield in 2004, Green found plenty of the ball both forward and through the midfield in 2005. His penetrating and very accurate left foot kicking was effective to leading forwards or in front of goals. He often sets up Melbourne's marking forwards. He played in 21 of a possible 23 games in 2005, consolidating himself as an integral part of the Demons outfit in 2006 with consistent displays in the midfield and excelling as part of the leadership group. Green wore the number 18 guernsey for Melbourne.

Described, as a "soft" player early in his career, Green became renowned for his acts of courage mid-career, attacking the football with vigour and courage. This resulted in him taking a higher number of contested marks in 2007. In the 2007 season, he played very good football both in defence, the midfield, and in the forward line. Green continued his solid form into the 2008 season, being one of Melbourne's few highlights in a miserable season. It took time for Green to decide if he wanted to go on and play with the Demons in 2009 but eventually signed a contract and agreeing to stay red and blue for another three years.

In 2010, Green had his best season to date, kicking 55 goals and taking 153 marks, both ranked sixth in the AFL, in a young Melbourne side to make the All-Australian squad and win his first Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal. Green finished on 295 votes to win the award from James Frawley (277) and Mark Jamar (231). He also won the Ron Barrassi Leadership Award and the "Heart and Soul" Award, pushing his case to be the next captain of the Demons, after the retirement of James McDonald.[8]

Green was named the new Melbourne captain in January 2011, succeeding James McDonald, who retired at the end of 2010. He described being named captain as a "surreal experience".[9] He was also named captain of the Australia international rules football team for the 2011 Series in Australia,[10] and was the only Australian to kick a goal during the 2011 International Rules Series; many commentators named this goal a "captain's goal".

Before the 2012 season, under new coach Mark Neeld, Green was removed from the captaincy and the leadership group altogether in favour of a new and younger group of whom only two were retained from the previous year.

Green played his 250th AFL game in Round 18 against North Melbourne, coincidentally the same team against whom he made his AFL debut back in 2000.[11] On 8 August 2012, Green announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2012 season.[12] He was the last remaining player from the club's 2000 Grand Final side to retire.[13]

Statistics

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[14]
Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2000 Melbourne 18 20 28 9 104 32 136 50 18 1.4 0.5 5.2 1.6 6.8 2.5 0.9
2001 Melbourne 18 21 37 15 103 52 155 53 25 1.8 0.7 4.9 2.5 7.4 2.5 1.2
2002 Melbourne 18 21 29 23 164 66 230 85 27 1.4 1.1 7.8 3.1 11.0 4.0 1.3
2003 Melbourne 18 21 35 19 201 102 303 93 46 1.7 0.9 9.6 4.9 14.4 4.4 2.2
2004 Melbourne 18 21 26 10 270 151 421 106 41 1.2 0.5 12.9 7.2 20.0 5.0 2.0
2005 Melbourne 18 21 28 14 224 145 369 127 54 1.3 0.7 10.7 6.9 17.6 6.0 2.6
2006 Melbourne 18 23 11 17 308 191 499 159 60 0.5 0.7 13.4 8.3 21.7 6.9 2.6
2007 Melbourne 18 18 13 8 220 164 384 117 49 0.7 0.4 12.2 9.1 21.3 6.5 2.7
2008 Melbourne 18 20 20 13 271 186 457 140 60 1.0 0.7 13.6 9.3 22.9 7.0 3.0
2009 Melbourne 18 12 12 3 152 109 261 73 20 1.0 0.3 12.7 9.1 21.8 6.1 1.7
2010 Melbourne 18 22 55 27 295 129 424 153 58 2.5 1.2 13.4 5.9 19.3 7.0 2.6
2011 Melbourne 18 21 37 25 205 128 333 106 61 1.8 1.2 9.8 6.1 15.9 5.0 2.9
2012 Melbourne 18 13 19 18 96 39 135 55 29 1.5 1.4 7.4 3.0 10.4 4.2 2.2
Career 254 350 201 2613 1494 4107 1317 548 1.4 0.8 10.3 5.9 16.2 5.2 2.2

Honours and achievements

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Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
2000 0
2001 0
2002 2
2003 0
2004 5
2005 0
2006 3
2007 3
2008 3
2009 0
2010 6
2011 1
2012 0
Total 23

Coaching career

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On 5 November 2012, Carlton Football Club announced that Green had been appointed as a development coach under Mick Malthouse.[15] After three years at Carlton, Green joined the North Melbourne Football Club as their defensive coach.[3]

Sports administration career

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On 6 September 2024, Green became President of the Melbourne Football Club.[4][16]

Personal life

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Green is a supporter of A-League Men soccer club Melbourne Victory.[17]

Green's wife, Anna, died on 27 May 2019. The couple have two sons.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "2015 Coaching Panel". carltonfc.com.au. Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  2. ^ Pierik, Jon; Wilson, Caroline (30 September 2015). "Neil Craig quits Essendon to join Carlton as coaching director". The Age. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Brad Green joins North". NMFC.com.au. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Roffey hands over reins". Melbourne Football Club. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  5. ^ Acid placed on Demons within Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine By Matt Burgan 12:16 PM Thu 1 April 2010
  6. ^ Boulton, Martin (11 January 2008). "Kicking around". The Age.
  7. ^ "245. Brad Green". Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame.
  8. ^ Clark, Jay (3 September 2010). "Brad Green wins Keith "Bluey" Truscott gong". Herald Sun. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  9. ^ "Brad Green the new Melbourne captain". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  10. ^ Green to lead Aussies
  11. ^ Loyal Green fires one more shot, Melbourne Football Club official website, 27 July 2012
  12. ^ Burgan, Matt (8 August 2012). "Green announces retirement". Melbourne Football Club. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  13. ^ Burgan, Matt (27 August 2012). "Monday analysis: Green passes the baton". Melbourne Football Club. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  14. ^ Brad Green's Player Profile at AFL Tables
  15. ^ Seewang, Niall. "Coach Green turns Blue". afl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  16. ^ "Kate Roffey quits as Melbourne club president, Brad Green takes role". 6 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Kicking around". 11 January 2008.
  18. ^ "Melbourne Demons great Brad Green's wife Anna has died". news.com.au. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
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