Eddie Betts

Eddie Betts
Personal information
Full name Eddie Betts
Nickname(s) Betts, Betsie, Buttsy
Date of birth (1986-11-26) 26 November 1986
Place of birth Port Lincoln, South Australia
Original team(s) Templestowe (EFL)
Calder Cannons (TAC Cup)
Draft Pick #3, 2004 Pre-Season Draft, Carlton
Debut Round 1, 2005, Carlton
v. Kangaroos, at Telstra Dome
Height/Weight 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) / 73 kg (11 st 7 lb)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current club Adelaide
Number 18
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2005–2013
2014–
Total		 Carlton
Adelaide		 184 (290)
045 (114)
229 (404)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2007 Indigenous All-Stars 1
International team honours
2010 Australia 2
1 Playing statistics correct to end of 2015 season.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2010.
Career highlights

Eddie Betts (born Edward Roberts on 26 November 1986) is a professional Australian rules football player who plays for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Betts was originally drafted by Carlton with pick #3 in the 2004 Pre-Season Draft, where he played for nine years before Adelaide signed him as a free agent at the end of 2013.

Early life

Betts was born in Port Lincoln, South Australia and grew up with his mother in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. He 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 kept 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.[1]

In Melbourne, Betts played football for Templestowe, where he won the EFL Division 3 league best and fairest in 2002,[2] and TAC Cup football for the Calder Cannons. He represented Vic Metro as a 16-year-old in the 2003 AFL 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.[1]

AFL career

Carlton (2005–2013)

After being overlooked in the National Draft, Betts was recruited to the AFL through the 2004 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 a seemingly 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. Betts kicked another 50 goals in 2011, including a career-best eight goals against Essendon in Round 18, and then 48 goals in 2012 to be the club's leading goalkicker for the second time.[7] He finished second in the best and fairest in 2012, narrowly beaten by Heath Scotland,[8] and he was nominated in the 40-man All-Australian squad in both 2011 and 2012, but did not make the final team in either year.[9][10][11]

The conclusion of the 2013 AFL season saw Betts enter the free agent market. On 3 October, Betts notified Carlton he has accepted a 4-year contract worth $2 million (AUS), to join Adelaide.[12] Carlton had 72 hours to match the Crows offer but declined before that time elapsed, allowing the confirmation of Betts' switch to occur on 4 October.[13]

Adelaide (2014–)

In his first season at Adelaide, Betts played all 22 games and kicked a career-best 51 goals, leading Adelaide's goalscoring and finishing eighth in the Coleman Medal. He also had more goal assists than anyone else in the AFL and was ranked third in the league for tackles inside the forward 50. Betts played his 200th AFL game against Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval in round 17.[14]

On May 26, 2015, the AFL launched an inquiry into Betts' signing with Adelaide after outgoing Carlton coach Mick Malthouse claimed to have been told by current Carlton and former Adelaide CEO Steven Trigg that Adelaide had illegally signed Betts 18 months prior to him departing Carlton.[15] Adelaide categorically denied the claim, as did Carlton and Betts' manager.[16] Betts and all other parties were subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing in the affair.[17]

Personal life

Betts teaches part-time at Assumption College in Kilmore, Victoria.[18]

In December 2009, Betts was arrested and fined by police after being drunk in public following Carlton players' Christmas party.[19] 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.[20][21][22][23][24][25]

He is married to Anna Scullie and together they have a son who was born in October 2012.[26]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to end of round 22, 2015.[4]
Season Team # Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
2005 Carlton 19 19 19 12 86 36 122 17 42 1.00 0.63 4.53 1.89 6.42 0.89 2.21
2006 Carlton 19 21 20 10 128 100 228 58 70 0.95 0.48 6.10 4.76 10.86 2.76 3.33
2007 Carlton 19 17 21 11 108 94 202 44 66 1.24 0.65 6.35 5.53 11.88 2.59 3.88
2008 Carlton 19 18 25 10 143 90 233 62 33 1.39 0.56 7.94 5.00 12.94 3.44 1.83
2009 Carlton 19 22 38 21 156 109 265 55 78 1.73 0.95 7.09 4.95 12.05 2.50 3.55
2010 Carlton 19 23 42 29 178 140 318 91 76 1.83 1.26 7.74 6.09 13.83 3.96 3.30
2011 Carlton 19 24 50 22 176 121 297 90 84 2.08 0.92 7.33 5.04 12.38 3.75 3.50
2012 Carlton 19 23 48 30 182 103 285 72 62 2.18 1.36 8.27 4.68 12.95 3.27 2.82
2013 Carlton 19 18 27 15 125 85 210 49 61 1.50 0.83 6.94 4.72 11.67 2.72 3.39
2014 Adelaide 18 22 51 22 167 123 290 53 74 2.32 1.00 7.59 5.59 13.18 2.41 3.36
2015 Adelaide 18 23 63 22 192 87 279 76 57 2.70 1.10 9.60 4.35 13.95 3.80 2.85
Career 226 395 204 1641 1088 2729 667 703 1.75 0.90 7.26 4.81 12.08 2.95 3.11
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles

References

  1. 1 2 Gullan, Scott (27 Aug 2010). "The Eddie Betts of both worlds". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 Dec 2011.
  2. ↑ "Colts". Eastern Football League. Retrieved 21 Dec 2011.
  3. ↑ Lucas, Jarrod (24 Dec 2004) Betts set for big time
  4. 1 2 "Eddie Betts statistics". AFL Tables. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Burton, Rioli win awards
  6. ↑ Betts' goal provides Blues' bright spot
  7. ↑ "2012 Stats - Player Lists". AFL Tables. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Scotland wins his first Best & Fairest". Carlton Football Club. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  9. ↑ Paton, Al (6 Sep 2011). "Leon Davis, Eddie Betts make All-Australian Squad". Herald Sun. Retrieved 6 Sep 2011.
  10. ↑ "Betts earns All-Australian nomination". Carlton Football Club. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  11. ↑ Green, Warwick; Windley, Matt (17 September 2012). "Jack Riewoldt, Matthew Pavlich miss the All-Australian cut". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  12. ↑ Betts off: Free agent Eddie to join Crows
  13. ↑ http://www.afc.com.au/news/2013-10-04/betts-are-off-eddies-a-crow
  14. ↑ "Eddie Betts - AFC.com.au".
  15. ↑ "League to look into Malthouse's claims of Crows poaching Betts". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Club Statement: Eddie Betts". AFC.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  17. ↑ "AFL Statement: Crows cleared". AFC.com.au. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  18. ↑ http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/74234
  19. ↑ Eddie Betts locked up for drunken behaviour in Melbourne's CBD
  20. ↑ http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/afl/a-day-out-for-boozy-carlton-footballers-ended-in-crown-casino-ban/story-e6frepf6-1225812929001?from=public_rss
  21. ↑ http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26675249-23211,00.html
  22. ↑ Camp breaks, makes Blues
  23. ↑ Carlton trio back, wiser and fitter
  24. ↑ Last drinks for Carlton boys
  25. ↑ Banned Carlton Blues players set for return after NAB Cup
  26. ↑ "It's a boy!". 29 October 2012.

External links

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