Fred Cook (Australian rules footballer)
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Fred Cook (born November 16, 1947) is a former Australian rules footballer. He played 33 games with Footscray in the VFL from 1967 until 1969 but it was in the VFA with Port Melbourne that he made his name. In his brief career with Footscray he played in defence and only kicked two goals but with Port he was one of the league's premier forwards, kicking a VFA record 1364 goals from his 305 games.
Cook's career was full of off-field drama. He was sacked from Footscray for 'disciplinary reasons' and ended up at Yarraville. In 1970, his debut season, he won the J. J. Liston Trophy for the VFA's best and fairest player. Despite his efforts Yarraville were relegated and Cook decided to be transferred to Port Melbourne. During the 1972 pre season training he suffered a heart attack but managed to return to the field later in the year and even kicked 16 goals in a reserves match.
The 1970s saw Cook played at full forward and dominate the league's goalkicking. He topped the VFA's goalkicking fives times in a prolific period from 1976-1982, at his best in 1977 when he kicked 155 goals in the season. He also played in 6 premierships with Port Melbourne.
