| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 25 November 1975 |
| Recruited from | Sturt / Port Adelaide |
| Height and weight | 200cm / 102kg |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Team(s) |
Port Adelaide Power (1999 –2002) 62 games, 20 goals Carlton (2003–2006) 51 games, 14 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2006 season | |
Barnaby French (born 25 November 1975) is a former junior rower and professional Australian rules footballer.
French attended Pembroke School in Adelaide. He was a champion junior rower, and at his pinnacle in the sport was a part of the Australian under 23s rowing team. He gave up rowing when his studies interfered.[1]
After rowing, French played local football for Ironbank in the Hills Football League from 2006 until 2007. Despite having relatively little junior experience as a footballer, he won the club best and fairest both years,[2] and was impressive enough to be drafted to the AFL by the Port Adelaide Power at the end of the 1997 season under the newly established rookie list. He spent the following year, while on Port's rookie list, playing SANFL football for Sturt.[1] He was also selected in the SANFL representative team that season.[3]
Port Adelaide elevated French to the senior list for 1999. He made his AFL debut as a 23-year-old and went on to play 62 games and kick 20 goals for the club. However, he was generally the club's number three or four ruckman behind Matthew Primus, Dean Brogan and possibly Brendon Lade, at the time, and this limited his opportunities with the Power. He continued to play SANFL football with Sturt when not selected for Port Adelaide, and won a premiership with the Double Blues in 2002.[4]
At the end of 2002, French was traded to the Carlton Football Club in exchange for a second-round draft selection (#16 overall). There, he took the position of number one ruckman, and proved weekly to be one of Carlton's most important players. He spent four seasons at Carlton, but as time went on he began to struggle to keep his place in the team. He announced his retirement at three quarter time of the Blues' Round 22, 2006 match against Sydney.
References [link]
- ^ a b Connolly, R., The Age, "French plans to stand tall", 23 November 2003, Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ Ironbank-Cherry Gardens Football Club Best & Fairest Awards, Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ Perkovic, D., Last week in the SANFL..., 15 June 1998, Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ Bednall, J., Messenger Community News, "Team of the Decade: Sturt", 15 July 2009, Retrieved 23 April 2011.
External links [link]
- Barnaby French's profile on the Official AFL Website of the Carlton Football Club
- Barnaby French's statistics from AFL Tables
- Barnaby French Profile in Blueseum
