Barry Bourke | Demonwiki (original) (raw)

DOB: 14 September <1943>

Debut: Round 2, 1963 against at
Last Game: Round 22, 1973 against North Melbourne at

From: Drouin High School/Neerim-Neerim South

Number: 14 (1963-1973)

Honours:
Premiership Player - <1964>
Best First Year Player - <1963>
Leading Goalkicker - <1963>
Victorian representative - <1966>, <1969>, <1970>
Night Series winner - <1971>
Life Member - <1972>
150 Heroes selection
Under 19s Best and Fairest - <1962>
Under 19s Leading Goalkicker - <1962>
MFC Hall of Fame - <2008>

Games: 175
Goals: 154
Career Statistics

Statistical categories led
Most games in jumper 14
Most goals in jumper 14

Signed by Melbourne in the dying days of unrestricted country recruiting, Bourke was lucky to make it to the club. Recruiter Ken Carlon set out to scout Bourke but went to the wrong ground. After the umpire of the Under 19s game gave Bourke a sparkling report, Carlon decided to recruit him anyway. He arrived with promising form, winning his club's Under 19s Best and Fairest and goalkicking at 17 years old, and finishing second in their senior Best and Fairest the next year.

Carlon's gamble paid off when Bourke led the Under 19 competition goalkicking in <1962>, and winning Melbourne's Best and Fairest. He was promoted to the senior side after five goals in an end-of-season practice match against Essendon. He kicked 48 goals in his first season and was named Best First Year Player. In <1964> he was restricted to just 28 goals, but played in the winning Grand Final. Bourke found himself being shuffled around the ground, playing every position except full back and ruck, and only kicked six goals in <1965> before a broken wrist that required a bone graft ended his season prematurely. In <1966> he played for Victoria.

Bourke missed <1967> with a serious knee injury, but suffered further knee trouble in his pre-season match return. He missed the first two months of <1968>, before being thrown straight back into the senior side in Round 9. His knee held up for the rest of the season, playing 12 games. In <1969> he went forward again, kicking 29 goals from 16 games, including a career-best eight during the Round 13 loss to North Melbourne. That year he was selected to play for Victoria again, and the next year Bourke was appointed vice-captain and finished runner-up in the Best and Fairest. Now almost exclusively a defender, Bourke was now relatively injury free, though he missed four games with a back injury in <1971>, and had knee troubles for the rest of his career.

In Round 1, 1972, Peter Hudson of had eight goals to half time at Glenferrie Oval before a knee injury suffered after a collision with Bourke, who was running back with the flight of the ball when they crashed into each other. Hudson was carried off and missed the rest of the season.

Bourke lost his position as vice-captain at the start of <1973>, and at the end of the season he was one of several players who announced they would leave Melbourne after the sacking of coach Ian Ridley. Ray Biffin, Peter Keenan and Greg Wells all returned, but Bourke never played another senior game. His decision was helped by a medical report advising him to have a knee reconstruction.

Bourke served on the committee from <1975> until resigning at the end of <1979>. In his last year, he was chairman of the selection committee. He also operated the Barry Bourke of Berwick car dealership.

After failing to break into the Melbourne senior squad his son Darren joined St Kilda via Dandenong in the and played 32 games between <1993> and <1996>.

Tribunal record

Lists
Family at other clubs

Notes
Broken wrist may have been in <1966>. From Jindivik but not clear that he played any football there.

Media
Age - 14/05/1971, 31/01/1973
Inside Football - 22/04/1972
MFC Past Players newsletter - 12/2021

Links
Boyles Football Photos
Demonwiki image gallery
Wikipedia profile