John Platten

John Patrick "The Rat" Platten (born 17 March 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.

Career

Platten was born in South Australia. He began (and ended) his career with the Central District Bulldogs in the SANFL competition. A junior with Centrals, he commenced in the junior ranks in 1979 and made his league debut in 1981. Platten immediately made an impact with Centrals, becoming a full State Representative in 1982 and continued to be a regular in the State Team throughout his career. Platten's greatest achievement at Centrals was his 1984 Magarey Medal triumph along with two Best & Fairest awards in 1984 and 1985.

Platten was recruited to Hawthorn for the 1986 season. He went on to play for the Hawks between 1986 and 1997, playing 258 games and kicking 228 goals. He was a gutsy rover who won a Brownlow Medal in 1987, tying with Tony Lockett. He won All-Australian selection in 1985 (with Centrals), 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1992 (with Hawthorn), as well as playing in the Hawks' premiership sides in 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1991.

In 1998, Platten retired from the Hawthorn Football Club, and made a dramatic return to Central District along with Gilbert McAdam, another of the Bulldogs' all-time greats. Platten kicked the match winning goal of his comeback match against Glenelg at Elizabeth Oval, however injury plagued his long-awaited comeback and he retired from football altogether after sustaining a knee injury mid-season. His return to Elizabeth Oval wasn't the success it was hoped for, but was a joyous event for long-time Centrals fans regardless. Platten has been a notable attendee at Centrals recent premiership successes, an achievement he was unfortunately never to enjoy with his boyhood club.

Platten now coaches country football in South Australia. He played 113 games for Central District in the SANFL and was the club's best and fairest in 1984 and 1985, and its leading goalkicker in 1981 and 1985.

Honours

John Platten was one of 113 inaugural inductees into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and in 2003 he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

References

External links

• Central District Football Club website
• Hawthorn team of the Century
• John Platten's statistics from AFL Tables
• John Platten's printing business