Rod Blake (born 15 June 1952) 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 ...

ruckman whose career spanned a thirteen-year period beginning in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

. He played a total of 176 games in the Victoria Football League (VFL), kicking 113 goals.

History and Achievements

Blake began his career with

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, ...

in the VFL in 1971 after being recruited from local

Geelong & District Football League The Geelong & District Football League (GDFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball league in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, being the oldest surviving competition in the region. It is one of three leagues in the Geelong area, the other ...

(GDFL) club Inverleigh. Blake did not truly cement his spot in the first eighteen however until 1979, when he took over from Sam Newman as the number one ruckman. Blake was considered a lightweight at 93.5 kg (206 lbs); however, Blake compensated for this potential disadvantage with agility and height – towering over his peers at 199 cm (6 ft 6.5in). In

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

he won the club's best and fairest award, the

Carji Greeves Medal The Carji Greeves Medal is a name given in recent decades to an Australian rules football award given to the player(s) adjudged best and fairest for the Geelong Football Club for the season. The voting system has changed a number of times. ...

and started out as a favourite 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 ...

, but fell just short – finishing on 19 votes, four behind the winner

Kelvin Templeton Kelvin Templeton (born 30 September 1956) is a former Australian rules footballer. At sixteen years of age Templeton kicked 100 goals for Traralgon in the 1973 Latrobe Valley Football League season. Footscray, within whose country zone Trar ...

of Footscray. Blake retired following the conclusion of the

1983 VFL season The 1983 VFL season was the 87th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 26 March until 24 September, and comprised a ...

. During his career Blake represented the Victorian state side three times. He is the father of former Geelong player Mark Blake.

External links

Player profile
at the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

The Age: Cats want AFL rethink on father-son rule revamp
* * 1952 births Living people Carji Greeves Medal winners Geelong Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Geelong {{AFL-bio-1950s-stub