Brian Peake

Brian Peake OAM
Personal information
Full name	Brian Francis Peake
Nickname(s)	Bomber, Pasties
Date of birth	4 December 1953
Place of birth	South Perth, Western Australia
Original team(s)	Manning JFC
Height/Weight	180 cm / 82 kg
Position(s)	Utility
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1972–81; 1985–90 1981–84 1990	East Fremantle Geelong Perth Total	305 (293) 66 (49) 10 (6) 381 (348)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
1974–77 1978–82; 1984–87	WAFL Western Australia Total	6 (2) 16 (14) 22 (16)
^1 Playing statistics correct to end of 1990 season.
Career highlights
WAFL representative team 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 East Fremantle captain 1979-81, 1986-87 East Fremantle premiership side 1974, 1979, 1985 East Fremantle best and fairest 1976–80, 1987 Sandover Medal 1977 WA State of Origin team 1978–82, 1984–87 WA State of Origin captain 1979, 1980, 1986, 1987 All-Australian team 1979, 1980, 1986 All-Australian captain 1979, 1986 Tassie Medal 1979 Geelong captain 1982 West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee 2004 Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee 2013

Brian Francis Peake OAM (born 4 December 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer. He played for East Fremantle and Perth in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also played State of Origin football for Western Australia from 1978 to 1987, captaining the side in 1979, 1980, 1986 and 1987. Peake was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1990, was inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004, and inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

WAFL career

The son of Laurie Peake, who also played for East Fremantle, Peake was versatile ruck-rover, half-forward flanker or centreman. He had a long and successful career with East Fremantle where he made his debut in 1972, playing in three premiership winning sides (1974, 1979 and 1985), winning a Sandover Medal in 1977 and captaining the All-Australian side in 1979 and 1986. Peake played over 300 games for the Blue and Whites and holds the record for six club Best and Fairests. After being controversially sacked with full support of the board by the Sharks three rounds into 1990,^[1] Peake moved on to Perth when no other WASFL club was interested in him.^[2] In his short career with the Demons Peake became the second West Australian behind Barry Cable to reach 400 games of senior league football.^[3] Peake has been named a WAFL Hall of Fame Legend.^[4]

VFL career

Peake transferred to Victorian Football League club Geelong midseason in 1981. Amidst much hype he was flown to Kardinia Park by helicopter for training where a crowd of 3000 fans awaited his arrival. In 1982 he was promoted to team captain after just 13 VFL games, although he gave up this position a year later to club game record holder Ian Nankervis.^[5] Widely regarded as one of the most in-form players in the country at the time, Peake was paid $1,000 a game (high by 1980s standards).^[6] After the 1984 season, Peake returned to Western Australia, where he continued to play for a further six seasons.

Notes

1. Lague, Steve; ‘Stunned Peaks Axed by Sharks’; The West Australian, 18 April 1990, p. 144
2. Stocks, Gary; ‘Peake Out in Cold’; The West Australian, 19 April 1990, p. 144
3. Townsend, John Hall of Fame should peek at Peake; The West Australian
4. WA Football Hall of Fame Inductees
5. Geelong Honour roll
6. Holmesby & Main (2005), p 512)

References

• Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2002). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (4th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 512-513. ISBN 1-74095-001-1.
• Pike, Chris (September 2006). Alan East, ed. The Sandover Medal Men. Alan East. pp. 193–198. ISBN 0-9775813-0-6.

External links

• Brian Peake's statistics from AFL Tables
• Profile at Australian Football