Alex Jesaulenko

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Alex Jesaulenko
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Personal information
Birth August 2, 1945 (1945-08-02) (age 62), Salzburg, Austria
Recruited from Eastlake Football Club
Height and weight /
Playing career¹
Debut 1967, Carlton vs. , at
Team(s) Carlton (1967-1979)

256 games, 424 goals

St Kilda (1980-1981)

23 games, 20 goals
Coaching career¹
Team(s) Carlton
¹ Statistics to end of season
Career highlights


Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE (born 2 August 1945 Salzburg, Austria) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach.[1] He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame, and immortalised his reputation in the game by taking the Mark of the Century in the 1970 Grand Final.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Jesaulenko was born in Salzburg, Austria of Ukrainian parents. The family emigrated to Canberra, Australia in 1949 from Ukraine. The family name was originally spelt Esaulenko, but on arrival in Australia a 'J' was added to the name because of it's pronunciation. Initially the young Jesaulenko played soccer, then Rugby union, not playing Australian Rules Football until he was 14 years old. He began playing at the Eastlake Football Club in Canberra.[2]

[edit] Carlton career

Jesaulenko made his senior debut in 1967, and went on to play 256 senior games for the Carlton Football Club. In total he kicked 424 goals and won 4 premierships with the club 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1979. Jesaulenko was selected for All-Australian honours in 1969 and 1972. He has the dubious record at Carlton for the most inaccurate score of 5 goals and 12 behinds, against Hawthorn in 1969.

A spectacular and popular player Jesaulenko was renowned for his high marking and goal kicking. In 1970 he kicked 115 goals in the season and went on to play in the famous 1970 VFL Grand Final against Collingwood. In front of a record MCG crowd of 121,000 fans Carlton came from a 44-point deficit at half-time to win.

In 1979 Jesaulenko was the playing coach of Carlton's premiership team, perhaps his finest moment in football. "Jezza" was in fact the last playing coach in the VFL to win a premiership.

Jesaulenko had pay disputes with Carlton in 1977. Subsequently he tied his ongoing presence at the club to then Carlton club president George Harris. At the end of the 1979 season Harris was ousted from his position and Jesaulenko cut all ties with Carlton.

[edit] St Kilda Football Club

In a deal managed by trucking millionaire and St Kilda club president, Lindsay Fox, Jesaulenko moved to the St Kilda Football Club in 1980. While initially appointed as an on-field player only Jesaulenko was then appointed playing coach when the incumbent St Kilda coach, Mike Patterson, was sacked by Fox after Round 2.[3] He played 23 games and kicked 20 goals for the Saints in 1980-1981 and stayed on for a further season as coach.

[edit] Return to Carlton

Mid-1989 Jesaulenko returned as a senior coach for Carlton until the end of 1990.

[edit] "Oh Jesaulenko, you beauty!"

Jesaulenko's marking skill was perhaps best highlighted by a spectacular mark over Graeme Jenkin in the legendary 1970 VFL Grand Final. The famous commentary has Mike Williamson shouting "Oh Jesaulenko, you beauty!". This "specky" is acclaimed by some to be the "Mark of the Century" and was the first to be recognised officially as the Mark of the Year; the medal awarded to the annual winner is called the Alex Jesaulenko Medal.

[edit] Post football

Jesaulenko was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996, and in 2008 became the twenty-second man elevated to Legend status. He works today with VISY Recycling in Melbourne.

In 2006, Jesaulenko was featured in a Toyota Memorable Moments commercial with Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson, which involved spraypainting Jesaulenko's navy suit and trying several methods to recreate that mark he took almost 40 years ago, including a small trampoline, a stepladder and finally successfully with a large crane.

[edit] Cultural References

The main character in the Australian children's book "Jezza" is a dog named after Alex Jesaulenko. "Ordinary dogs chase tennis balls or fetch silly sticks. But not me. Football's my game. My new family called me Jezza because that was the name of a famous footballer. He was brilliant. I don't mean to brag, but I'm quite a footballer too." (Bell, 1991).

[edit] References

  1. ^ Martin Gray, Geraldine Stoneham, Ian Craven (1994). Australian Popular Culture. Cambridge University Press, 50. ISBN 0521466679. 
  2. ^ Andrew Markus (2001). Building a new community: Immigration and the Victorian economy. Allen & Unwin, 73. ISBN 1865085359. 
  3. ^ top 10 sacked

[edit] Bibliography

  • Bell, K 1991, Jezza, Macmillan Australia, Melbourne.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Mike Patterson		 St Kilda Football Club coach
1980-2		 Succeeded by
Tony Jewell