Garry Sidebottom

Infobox afl player


firstname = Garry
lastname = Sidebottom


birthdate = Birth date and age|1954|11|21|df=y
birthplace = Western Australia
originalteam = Swan Districts Football Club (WAFL) (1978-1983)
heightweight = 193cm / 98kg
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = Round 1, 1978
debutteam = Saint Kilda
debutopponent =
debutstadium =
playingteams = AFL Saint Kilda (1978-80 54 games) Geelong (1981 season 7 games) Fitzroy (1982-4 43 games) WAFL Swan Districts (1973-1977,1985-19877 114 games [cite web|url=http://www.swandistrictsfc.com/gsidebottom.html|title=Swan Districts Football Club - Playertracker - Garry Sidebottom|year=2007|accessdate=2007-08-17] .AFL/VFL 104 games, 145 goals [cite web|url=http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/G/Garry_Sidebottom.html|title=AFL Tables - Garry Sidebottom|year=2007|accessdate=2007-08-17] .AFL/WAFL/State 233 games (1973-1997)
coach = notcoach
coachingteams =
statsend =
careerhighlights =
*Swan Medal 1976,1985
*WA State Team 1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1983,1984,1985
*Leading goal kicker St Kilda 1979 56 goals Fact|date=March 2008
*Leading Goal kicker Swan Districts 1985 77 goals

Garry Sidebottom is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Saint Kilda Football Club, Geelong Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club in the AFL and Swan Districts Football Club in the WAFL during the mid 1970s and early 1980s.

Older brother of Allen Sidebottom who also played for Swan Districts and St Kilda.Sidebottom was a powerful and fearless player ideal for playing at centre half forward or as a ruckman. A versatile forward good in the air and hard in the clinches he kicked 227 goals while at Swan Districts and 145 goals while in the VFL. Sidebottom wore the number 2 guernsey at St Kilda, number 5 at Swan Districts, number 6 at Geelong and number 21 at Fitzroy.

He played in the inaugural State of Origin team for Western Australia in 1977 when WA famously beat Victoria.In 1984 Sidebottom kicked 6 goals playing for WA against Victoria in another famous victory to the Sandgropers. He represented WA fifteen times in state games. [cite web|url=http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/sh-sm.htm#Gary%20Sidebottom%20(Swan%20Districts,%20St%20Kilda,%20Geelong,%20Fitzroy)|title=Full Points Footy|year=2007|accessdate=2007-08-17]

Sidebottom entered Football folklore whn he famously missed the Geelong team bus to play in the 1981 Preliminary Final against Collingwood. His team-mate Peter Johnston took his place at the last minute, despite being told earlier he had not been selected, to play a memorable game despite eating half a chicken and a bucket of chips along with a strawberry thickshake shortly before the game began. [cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Geoff-McClure/New-side-to-bus-legend/2005/06/12/1118514924487.html|title=The Age New side to bus legend|year=2005|accessdate=2007-08-17] .

Garry Sidebottom returned to Swan Districts as a coach of the reserves side in 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.swandistrictsfc.com/news5.html|title=Swan Districts Football Club - Swans Legend Returns|year=2007|accessdate=2007-08-17] .

References