Arnold Briedis (born 20 August 1955) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...

in the VFL during the 1970s. A centre half-forward, Briedis was a member of North Melbourne's inaugural premiership side in 1975, kicking 5 goals in the grand final. In the

1977 VFL Grand Final The 1977 VFL Grand Final was a series of two Australian rules football matches between the North Melbourne Football Club and the Collingwood Football Club. Together they are considered the 80th and 81st grand finals of the Victorian Football Le ...

, Briedis kicked seven points, and his inaccuracy at goal nearly cost North Melbourne the premiership when they drew with Collingwood;Phillips, Stephen (26 Sept 1977
Arnie takes the blame

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

however, Briedis made amends by becoming the club's leading goalkicker in the decider when he kicked accurately with 5 goals. His tally of 38 goals in finals football was a record for North Melbourne until it was passed by

Wayne Carey Wayne Francis Carey (born 27 May 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne Football Club and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A dual-premiership captain at North Melbou ...

in the 1990s. In 2010 Briedis was tasked to present the Norm Smith Medal. He infamously pronounced the winner, Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury, as "Scott Embery". He is the older brother of North Melbourne teammate Robert Briedis.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Briedis, Arnold 1955 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Australian people of Latvian descent North Melbourne Football Club players North Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players