Trevor Barker

Trevor Barker[1]
Personal information
Date of birth	7 October 1956
Date of death	26 April 1996 (aged 39)
Original team(s)	Cheltenham
Debut	Round 2, 12 April 1975, St Kilda v. Hawthorn, at Moorabbin Oval
Height/Weight	183 cm / 71 kg
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1975–1989	St Kilda	230 (134)
Coaching career
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1992–1994 1995	Sandringham St Kilda reserves
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1989 season.
Career highlights
St Kilda best & fairest 1976, 1981 St Kilda captain 1983-1986 Victoria interstate representative (7 games) St Kilda Team of the Century 1900-1999 St Kilda FC Hall Of Fame - Legend Status

Trevor Barker (7 October 1956 – 26 April 1996) was an Australian rules footballer with the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (now the Australian Football League).^[1] Barker was in many ways a shining light during a particularly tough time on and off the field for St Kilda in the 1970s and 1980s. While he was seen by many to be the "glamour boy" of the St Kilda team, he was the heart and soul of a club that reached some dark times throughout his career.

VFL career: 1975–1989

Barker was recruited from Cheltenham Football Club in 1975.^[2] He made his debut wearing number 25 against Hawthorn in Round 2 on 12 April 1975.^[3] He changed to his iconic number 1 in 1977. He was selected to represent Victoria at interstate level on seven times.

Barker won St Kilda's best and fairest award in 1976 and 1981.

Barker played during an era of little club success, which included St Kilda being wooden spooners in 1977, 1979, 1983–86 and 1988.

Barker was captain of the St Kilda Football Club from 1983 to 1986.^[4] He was regularly featured in the VFL highlight reels with his high-marking and determined approach to the ball.

Barker is (as of 2013) one of only five players in the AFL/VFL to play 200 games or more without playing a final (the other four are Steve Smith and Gary Hardeman of Melbourne, teammate Geoff Cunningham and Ted Pool of Hawthorn). As he got older he would regularly miss games through chronic injury until he retired after the 1989 season.

Many football experts noted that Barker could have easily fitted in to the powerhouse teams of the competition and there were plays for his services but his loyalty never wavered and he stuck with the club throughout his entire career.

Coaching

After retiring from the Saints in 1989, Barker embarked on a coaching career with Victorian Football Association club Sandringham. He coached the Zebras to premierships in 1992 and 1994 before leaving after his second premiership to return to the Saints as an assistant coach to Stan Alves.

Statistics

^[5]

Legend
G	Goals	B	Behinds	K	Kicks	H	Handballs	D	Disposals	M	Marks	T	Tackles

Season	Team	#	Games	G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
			Totals								Averages (per game)
1975	St Kilda	25	18	10	21	186	56	242	29	N/A	0.6	1.2	10.9	3.3	14.2	1.7	N/A
1976	St Kilda	25	19	0	2	205	26	231	43	N/A	0.0	0.1	10.8	1.4	12.2	2.3	N/A
1977	St Kilda	1	21	6	2	273	24	297	70	N/A	0.3	0.1	13.0	1.1	14.1	3.3	N/A
1978	St Kilda	1	22	23	24	431	62	493	87	N/A	1.0	1.2	19.6	2.8	22.4	4.0	N/A
1979	St Kilda	1	15	9	21	245	49	294	59	N/A	0.6	1.4	16.3	3.3	19.6	3.9	N/A
1980	St Kilda	1	17	12	7	255	59	314	55	N/A	0.7	0.4	15.0	3.5	18.5	3.2	N/A
1981	St Kilda	1	19	6	7	330	140	470	77	N/A	0.3	0.4	17.4	7.4	24.7	4.1	N/A
1982	St Kilda	1	14	16	5	173	77	250	39	N/A	1.1	0.4	12.4	5.5	17.9	2.8	N/A
1983	St Kilda	1	16	10	4	185	86	271	53	N/A	0.6	0.3	11.6	5.4	16.9	3.3	N/A
1984	St Kilda	1	14	12	7	131	76	207	34	N/A	0.9	0.5	9.4	5.4	14.8	2.4	N/A
1985	St Kilda	1	4	0	1	31	12	43	11	N/A	0.0	0.3	7.8	3.0	10.8	2.8	N/A
1986	St Kilda	1	18	16	10	209	83	292	69	N/A	0.9	0.6	11.6	4.6	16.2	3.8	N/A
1987	St Kilda	1	14	4	3	142	78	220	45	29	0.3	0.2	10.1	5.6	15.7	3.2	2.1
1988	St Kilda	1	7	2	3	74	37	111	19	13	0.3	0.4	10.6	5.3	15.9	2.7	1.9
1989	St Kilda	1	12	8	8	82	31	113	26	13	0.7	0.7	6.8	2.6	9.4	2.2	1.1
Career			230	134	125	2952	896	3848	716	55	0.6	0.6	12.9	3.9	16.8	3.1	1.7

Death

Barker had to put his coaching career on hold mid-way through the 1995 season for health reasons. Trevor Barker died on 26 April 1996.^[6] Barker was 39 when he died when his liver failed after a prolonged battle with colon cancer.

Legacy

His contribution to St Kilda FC, particularly in the 1980s when the club had severe financial difficulties, was significant.^[7][8][9] St Kilda's best and fairest award, instituted in 1914, is named the Trevor Barker Award as a mark of respect to his contribution to the St Kilda Football Club.^[10] Barker was named in the club's Team of the Century 1900-1999.^[11]

His name was also inducted to the St Kilda Football Club Hall Of Fame in 2003. The home of the Sandringham Football Club was also named Trevor Barker Beach Oval, in his honour.^[12]

Trevor Barkers name was officially elevated to Legend Status in the St. Kilda Football Club Hall Of Fame on Saturday, May 4, 2013 at an official club function.^[13]

References

1. "Full Points Footy – T Barker". Full Points Footy Player Profile – Trevor Barker. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
2. "Cheltenham FC – VFL/AFL Players – Trevor Barker". www.cheltenhamfc.com.au/vfl-afl-players.htm. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
3. "St Kilda – All Time Player List – Trevor Barker". AFL Tables. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
4. "St Kilda Football Club Official website – History – Honour Roll". www.saints.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
5. Trevor Barker's player profile at AFL Tables
6. Flanagan, Martin (26 April 1996). "Cancer claims life of a number one Saint". The Age. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
7. "1970's VFL – St Kilda v Essendon – Trevor Barker of the Saints takes a mark". The Slattery Media Group. 13 November 1970. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
8. "1970's VFL – St Kilda v Geelong – Trevor Barker of the Saints takes a mark". The Slattery Media Group. 13 November 1970. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
9. "The Age – St Kilda star Trevor Barker leaps high for a spectacular mark against Melbourne at the MCG.". The Age. 10 Jun 1980. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
10. "St Kilda Best & Fairest preview". St Kilda Football Club official website. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
11. "St Kilda Football Club Official website – History – Team Of The Century". www.saints.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
12. "Australian Stadiums – Trevor Barker Oval". www.austadiums.com. 8 February 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
13. "'Barks' joins the greats". Official Website of the St Kilda Football Club - Holmesby, Luke. 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.

External links

• Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Inc
• Cheltenham Cricket Club
• Cheltenham Football Club
• St Kilda Football Club official website
• Trevor Barker's statistics from AFL Tables