Brian Peter 'Wrecker' Leahy (3 February 1943 – 24 January 2004) was an

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

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL) during the early 1960s. His brothers

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and

Terry Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albrit ...

also played for Melbourne.

Australian rules football career

A strongly built half back, Leahy was noted for his bursts off the flanks. At age 15 he won the

North Albury Football Club The North Albury Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Hoppers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club playing in the Ovens & Murray Football League (O&MFL). They are incorporated as part of the North Albury Sports Club licensed c ...

's best and fairest and was just 16 when signed up by Melbourne, spending 1959 in the reserves. On 18 April 1960 during the Round 1 clash with

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 ...

, Leahy became the 786th player to wear the Melbourne guernsey. He went on to play a further 11 matches with Melbourne during the 1960 season, including the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...

against Collingwood. At 17 years and 233 days Brian became the second youngest premiership player in VFL history, just 11 days older than the record holder

Murray Weideman Murray Weideman (16 February 1936 – 17 February 2021) was an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). He died one day after his 85th birthday. Personal life The son of George Oliver and ...

. During the 1961 season, Leahy played a total of 17 matches – two with his older brother, John (Rounds 12 and 13) – and received two votes for the

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...

. He played another 17 matches in

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

, including the Semi-Final loss to

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

and received another Brownlow Medal vote. Leahy played a total of 18 games during the

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

season and kicked his first VFL goal during the Round 7 loss to

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

he kicked his second goal against South Melbourne (Round 11) before a thigh injury cost him another premiership. A torn Achilles tendon the following season ultimately ended Leahy's VFL career – he played only one game in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

– the Round 16 loss to

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. Leahy finished his career in the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFA) where he played briefly with both

Yarraville Yarraville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. Yarraville recorded a population of 15,636 at the . Yarraville i ...

and Northcote. He then coached South Melbourne's Under-19s football team.

Later life

Brian Leahy died in

Wodonga Wodonga (Pallanganmiddang language, Waywurru: ''Wordonga'') is a city on the Victoria (Australia), Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of ...

on 24 January 2004 RealFooty: 'Wrecker' Leahy dies aged 60
/ref> and is buried at the Glenmorous Gardens Lawn Cemetery,

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

References

*Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

External links

*
RealFooty: 'Wrecker' Leahy dies aged 60
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leahy, Brian 1943 births 2004 deaths Australian rules footballers from New South Wales Melbourne Football Club players Yarraville Football Club players Northcote Football Club players North Albury Football Club players Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players

Australian rules football career

Later life

See also

References

External links