Edward Robert Betts III (born 26 November 1986) is a former Australian rules football player who played as a forward for

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

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in the Australian Football League. Betts was originally drafted by Carlton with pick No. 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. He moved back to Carlton at the conclusion of the 2019 season, where he would finish his career at the end of the 2021 season having played a total of 350 games and kicked 640 goals. Betts now works as a development coach at the Geelong Football Club.

Early life and junior football

Betts was born in

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and raised by his mother in Kalgoorlie,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. He played junior football for the

Mines Rovers Football Club The Goldfields Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. Founded in 1896 as Hannans District Football Association, the league enjoyed a seat and full voting rights on the Austral ...

, before moving back to Port Lincoln, where his father lived, to play for the Mallee Park Peckers. While in Port Lincoln, Betts' off-field behaviour was an issue, which included smoking, drinking, drugs and truancy. As a result, his mother arranged for the 15-year-old Betts to move to

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 ...

and begin a TAFE program run by

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

former footballer

Phil Krakouer Phillip Brent Krakouer (born 15 January 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club during the 1980s. Notable for his speed, freakish skills and an uncanny ability to pass the ball to his brothe ...

. In Melbourne, Betts played football for

Templestowe Templestowe is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Templestowe recorded a population of 16,966 at the . The s ...

, where he won the EFL Division 3 league best and fairest in 2002, and

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Vict ...

football for the

Calder Cannons The Calder Cannons is an Australian rules football club from Melbourne, Australia. The club competes in the NAB League, the Victorian Statewide Under-18s competition, and fields squads in the Under-15s, Under-16s and Under-18s. The club was forme ...

. He represented Vic Metro as a 16-year-old in the 2003

AFL Under 18 Championships The AFL Under-19 Championships (for sponsorship reasons, the NAB AFL Under-19 Championships) is an annual Australian national underage representative championship in Australian rules football tournament. It is seen as one of the main pathways ...

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 Osteitis pubis is a noninfectious inflammation of the pubis symphysis (also known as the pubic symphysis, symphysis pubis, or symphysis pubica), causing varying degrees of lower abdominal and pelvic pain. Osteitis pubis was first described in pa ...

. He was overlooked in the 2004 National Draft as a result.

Professional career

Carlton: 2005–2013

After being overlooked in the National Draft, Betts was recruited to the AFL with pick 3 in the 2004 Pre-Season Draft by the Carlton Football Club. He attracted attention as a lively small forward during the 2005 pre-season, and made his AFL debut in round 1 against the . He kicked 19 goals in 19 games in 2006, playing as a permanent small forward and becoming a fan favourite. The next year, Betts won the Goal of the Year for his goal in round 21 against , a banana kick from the boundary under pressure. Throughout his first four seasons, Betts had a consistent output of roughly a goal per game. From 2009, Betts' goalkicking output increased, kicking 38 goals in 2009, then 42 in 2010 to top Carlton's goal kicking for the first time, while also making the top 10 in the club best and fairest. Betts started slowly in 2011, being on the cusp of being dropped early in the season, but rebounded to kick 50 goals for the season, including a career-best eight goals against Essendon in round 18. Betts kicked 48 goals in 2012, stepping up in the absence of several of the Blues' key forwards to become their major forward target. In that year he led the club's goalkicking, was runner-up in the club best and fairest count and was named in the 40 man

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

shortlist for the second year in a row. Betts kicked 27 goals in 18 games in a 2013 season interrupted by a suspension and a fractured jaw, including five goals in Carlton's two finals. At the end of the season, Betts entered the market as a restricted free agent, and in October he notified Carlton he had accepted a four-year contract understood to be worth about $2 million (AUS) to join the

Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...

. Carlton had 72 hours to match the Crows offer but declined to do so, allowing the confirmation of Betts' switch to occur on 4 October, the first day of the free agency period.

Adelaide: 2014–2019

In his first season at Adelaide, Betts played all 22 games and kicked a career-best 51 goals, leading Adelaide's goalkicking table and finishing eighth in the

Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer ...

. 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 at

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby le ...

in round 17. On 26 May 2015, the AFL launched an inquiry into Betts' signing with Adelaide after the outgoing Carlton coach,

Mick Malthouse Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Malthou ...

, claimed to have been told by the current Carlton and former Adelaide CEO Steven Trigg that Adelaide had illegally signed Betts 18 months prior to him departing Carlton. Adelaide categorically denied the claim, as did Carlton and Betts' manager. Betts and all other parties were subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing in the affair. Following on from this controversy, Betts improved on his stellar 2014 season by kicking 63 goals in 2015, finishing third in the

, and finally achieving

honours. Betts also was awarded the Goal of the Year in 2015 for the second time in his career; against in wet conditions, he managed to control the ball near the boundary at half-forward and kicked a left-foot

torpedo punt A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

from 50 metres out on the boundary line, which dribbled through for a goal. In a

Showdown A showdown is a duel. The term may also refer to: Places * Showdown Ski Area, in Montana, United States Books * ''Showdown'' (Amado novel), a 1984 novel by Jorge Amado * ''Showdown'' (Dekker novel), a 2006 novel by Ted Dekker * ''Showdown'' ( ...

in round 3, 2017, Betts was racially abused by a club member. The offender was evicted from the ground and had his membership suspended indefinitely. In the Crows' next match, Betts was given the honour of tossing the coin before the match along with player Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti before kicking 6 goals, taking the lead in the

in the Crows' 65-point win. This included 5 first-half goals, and he and McDonald-Tipungwuti kicked 10 goals between them for the match. In round 7, he kicked his 500th career goal against in the second quarter, before being flattened by defender Scott Thompson and immediately getting a set shot to kick his second goal in a row. Overall he got three goals for the match in spite of the Crows losing by 59 points. Betts had another good performance in 2017's Sir

Douglas Nicholls Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls, (9 December 1906 – 4 June 1988) was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneeri ...

Indigenous Round, kicking three goals in the Crows' 100-point win over . In August 2017, Betts was admitted to hospital with appendicitis and missed Adelaide's round 19 draw against Collingwood but returned the following week for the Showdown and kicked 4 goals, pushing up to second place on the overall Showdown leading goal-kickers list, only behind captain Taylor Walker. Betts was a part of Adelaide's losing Grand Final team that year, kicking one goal in the match. In 2018, Betts kicked only 29 goals for the year, making it his worst return in 5 years at the Crows. Also in 2018, Betts missed four matches due to hamstring injuries, having missed only one match in his previous four seasons at Adelaide. On Round 5 of the 2019 season, he played in his 300th AFL game, against the Gold Coast Suns. In front of a roaring crowd and with 6 minutes left in what turned out to be an easy win, he scored a classic left-footed banana that won him an unparalleled 4th AFL Goal of the Year award.

Return to Carlton: 2020–2021

At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Betts was traded back to Carlton. On 19 November 2019, Betts was given his previous jumper number at Carlton, no. 19, once again. On 16 August 2021, Betts announced via Instagram he would be playing his final, and 350th game against the Giants on 21 August 2021. Betts was chaired off the ground in his final and 350th game against the Giants, when he officially retired from his playing career after the game.

Coaching career

After his retirement, Betts began his job as a developmental coach at Geelong while also bringing in former Adelaide teammate and delisted player

Tyson Stengle Tyson Stengle (born 19 October 1998) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Geelong Cats in the Australian Football League (AFL). Stengle played junior representative football with Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL ...

and turned him into a member of the 2022 All-Australian roster.

Personal life

While playing for Carlton, Betts taught part-time at Assumption College in

Kilmore, Victoria Kilmore () is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. Located north of Melbourne, it is the oldest inland town in Victoria by the combination of age and physical occupation, and because it had unique agricultural attributes to drive that e ...

. Betts married his long-term partner, Anna Scullie, in a surprise wedding in August 2015, after several years' engagement. They have five children, three boys and twin daughters.

Publications

When Betts entered the AFL at 17 years of age, he had the reading and writing ability of a six to seven year old, and knows the challenges and disadvantage this can cause young people, leading him to create a series of educational books for children. The books aim to help kids read with confidence and enjoyment and give them the chance to express their own personality into the story. His first book, ''My Kind'', is about spreading kindness and helping kids understand acceptance and equality. Since its release, the kindness movement has spread. ''My People'', Betts' second book for children, is about sharing and educating kids on Aboriginal culture and Australia's First Nations peoples. Betts is often asked to visit schools to share his knowledge and experience. Betts' memoir, ''The Boy from Boomerang Crescent'', was published in August 2022.

Legacy

In 2014, Betts' first year at , he converted a series of difficult shots at goal from the right forward pocket at the northern end of

. Then-coach

Brenton Sanderson Brenton James Sanderson (born 27 February 1974) is a former Australian rules football player and is the former senior coach of the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Career Early career Originally from Adelaide, S ...

dubbed that area of the ground "Eddie’s Pocket", and the name has caught on with fans and commentators. Betts' 2015, 2016 and 2019 goal-of-the-year-winning goals were from the opposite pocket, the left forward pocket at the same end. In September 2021 Australian musician Paul Kelly released a song inspired by Betts and his battle with racism, titled ''Every Step of the Way''.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are calculated to end of the 2021 season'' , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2005 , style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 19 , , 19 , , 12 , , 86 , , 36 , , 122 , , 17 , , 42 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 4.5 , , 1.9 , , 6.4 , , 0.9 , , 2.2 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2006 , style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 21 , , 20 , , 10 , , 128 , , 100 , , 228 , , 58 , , 70 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 6.1 , , 4.8 , , 10.9 , , 2.8 , , 3.3 , , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2007 , style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 17 , , 21 , , 11 , , 108 , , 94 , , 202 , , 44 , , 66 , , 1.2 , , 0.7 , , 6.4 , , 5.5 , , 11.9 , , 2.6 , , 3.6 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 18 , , 25 , , 10 , , 143 , , 90 , , 233 , , 62 , , 33 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 7.9 , , 5.0 , , 12.9 , , 3.4 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2009 , style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 22 , , 38 , , 21 , , 156 , , 109 , , 265 , , 55 , , 78 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 7.1 , , 5.0 , , 12.1 , , 2.5 , , 3.6 , , 2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2010 , style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 23 , , 42 , , 29 , , 178 , , 140 , , 318 , , 91 , , 76 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , 7.7 , , 6.1 , , 13.8 , , 4.0 , , 3.3 , , 3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2011 , style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 24 , , 50 , , 22 , , 176 , , 121 , , 297 , , 90 , , 84 , , 2.1 , , 0.9 , , 7.3 , , 5.0 , , 12.4 , , 3.8 , , 3.5 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 22 , , 48 , , 30 , , 182 , , 103 , , 285 , , 72 , , 62 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , 8.3 , , 4.7 , , 13.0 , , 3.3 , , 2.8 , , 1 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 18 , , 27 , , 15 , , 125 , , 85 , , 210 , , 49 , , 61 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 6.9 , , 4.7 , , 11.7 , , 2.7 , , 3.4 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 18 , , 22 , , 51 , , 22 , , 167 , , 123 , , 290 , , 53 , , 74 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , 7.6 , , 5.6 , , 13.2 , , 2.4 , , 3.4 , , 4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2015 , style="text-align:center" , , 18 , , 23 , , 63 , , 25 , , 213 , , 99 , , 312 , , 84 , , 65 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , 9.3 , , 4.3 , , 13.6 , , 3.7 , , 2.8 , , 7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 18 , , 24 , , 75 , , 31 , , 231 , , 89 , , 320 , , 79 , , 85 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , 9.6 , , 3.7 , , 13.3 , , 3.3 , , 3.5 , , 10 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 18 , , 24 , , 55 , , 34 , , 210 , , 108 , , 318 , , 78 , , 80 , , 2.3 , , 1.4 , , 8.8 , , 4.5 , , 13.3 , , 3.3 , , 3.3 , , 5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 18 , , 18 , , 29 , , 20 , , 143 , , 96 , , 239 , , 43 , , 50 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 7.9 , , 5.3 , , 13.3 , , 2.4 , , 2.8 , , 1 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 18 , , 21 , , 37 , , 21 , , 155 , , 96 , , 251 , , 49 , , 52 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 7.4 , , 4.6 , , 12.0 , , 2.3 , , 2.5 , , 5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 15 , , 13 , , 13 , , 89 , , 44 , , 133 , , 24 , , 41 , , 0.8 , , 0.8 , , 5.9 , , 2.9 , , 8.8 , , 1.6 , , 2.7 , , 3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, style="text-align:center" , , 19 , , 19 , , 27 , , 16 , , 121 , , 59 , , 180 , , 42 , , 31 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 6.4 , , 3.1 , , 9.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.6 , , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" , - , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 350 ! 640 ! 342 ! 2611 ! 1592 ! 4203 ! 990 ! 1050 ! 1.8 ! 1.0 ! 7.5 ! 4.6 ! 12.0 ! 2.8 ! 3.0 ! 45

References

External links

*
Eddie Betts Profile in BlueseumEddie Betts' page at agent W Sports & Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betts, Eddie 1986 births Living people Adelaide Football Club players Australian autobiographers Carlton Football Club players Mines Rovers Football Club players Calder Cannons players All-Australians (AFL) Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from South Australia Indigenous Australians from Western Australia Australian rules footballers from Western Australia People from Kalgoorlie People from Port Lincoln Australia international rules football team players