Australian Football

Justin Blumfield began his senior career with Tuggeranong before being taken by Essendon as selection 62 in the 1994 National Draft. After taking a couple of seasons to find his feet at the elite level, Justin Blumfield raised his performance level several notches in 1998 when he was a virtual ever present in an Essendon side that was starting to come good again after a brief spell of mediocrity.

In 1999 and 2000, Blumfield emerged as one of the primary reasons for Essendon's development into arguably the most complete unit seen in Australian football up to that point. Along with players like James Hird, Jason Johnson, Blake Caracella and Joe Misiti, Blumfield gave the Bombers an engine room second to none, personally averaging more than 20 disposals a game - most of them effective - besides chipping in with 20 or more goals a season.

In Essendon's victorious grand final team of 2000, Blumfield was named second best on ground behind his skipper, James Hird. An injury-affected 2001 season saw Blumfield's appearances in an Essendon jumper reduced, but he remained an extremely handy player when called upon. In 2002 he was back to something approximating to his best, playing almost every game for the year and once again averaging more than 20 possessions a match. Nevertheless, owing to salary cap restrictions, at season's end he was traded to Richmond where he endured a disappointing debut season. After managing just eight league appearances in 2004 he was delisted. All told, Justin Blumfield played a total of 148 AFL games for his two clubs, and booted 91 goals.

Author - John Devaney