Eddie Betts

Eddie Betts (born Edward Roberts on 26 November 1986) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Carlton in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

Betts grew up with his mother in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and played junior football for the Mines Rovers Football Club. At age 15, Betts had intended to move to Port Lincoln with his father to continue playing junior football there. However, he getting into trouble off the field, including smoking, drinking, drugs and truancy. As a result, his mother arranged for Betts to instead move to Melbourne, under a program run by indigenous former footballer Phil Krakouer.

In Melbourne, Betts played colts football for Templestowe, where he won the EFL Division 3 league best and fairest in 2002,^[1] and TAC Cup football for the Calder Cannons. He represented Vic Metro as a 16 year old in the 2003 AFL National Under 18 Championships and was selected in the Under 18 All-Australian team that season. He was too young to be selected in the AFL Draft at the end of 2003, and he played another season with the Cannons, but was hindered by osteitis pubis. He was overlooked in the 2004 National Draft as a result.^[2]

AFL career

After being overlooked in the National Draft, Betts was recruited to the AFL through the 2005 Pre-Season Draft by the Carlton Football Club with the No. 3 pick.^[3] He attracted attention as a lively small forward during the 2005 Pre-Season, and made his AFL debut in Round 1, 2005 against North Melbourne. His early performances saw him become a regular member of the senior team, filling the niche of goal-sneak and chaser for the club, while his sometimes freakish displays of skill saw him labelled an excitement machine by commentators.

Throughout his first four seasons, Betts had a consistent output of 20-25 goals as a small forward playing underneath full forward Brendan Fevola.^[4] In 2006, Betts won the Goal of the Year, for his goal in Round 21 against Collingwood;^[5] in an amazing solo effort, Betts smothered Tarkyn Lockyer's attempted clearing kick, ran to gather it just before it went out of bounds, and steadied himself to score with a banana from an impossible angle.^[6] From 2007, Betts began to spend some rotations as a midfielder, particularly late in the season after the appointment of Brett Ratten as Carlton coach, but remained primarily a small forward.

From 2009, Betts' goalkicking output increased. He kicked 38 goals in 2009, then 42 in 2010 to top Carlton's goal kicking for the first time. He played his 100th AFL game in Round 3, 2010 against Essendon at the MCG. His 2010 season saw him make the top 10 in the club Best and Fairest for the first time. In 2011, Betts kicked another 50 goals, including a career-best eight goals against Essendon in Round 18. He was nominated in the 40-man All-Australian squad, but did not make the final team,^[7] and he finished 8th in the club Best and Fairest.^[8]

Personal life

Betts teaches part-time at Assumption College in Kilmore, Victoria.^[9]

In December 2009, Betts was arrested and fined by police after being drunk in public following Carlton players' Christmas party.^[10] He was also fined and suspended for one month by the club for the incident. He and other players were sent to a boxing gym and underwent a strenuous training program. This in fact had a positive effect and they applied themselves so well that they achieved best ever levels of fitness (which had never been one of Eddie's strengths) and convinced the club that they had the right attitude.^{[11][12][13][14][15][16]}

References

External links

• Eddie Betts Profile at Official Web site of the Carlton Football Club
• Eddie Betts Profile in Blueseum