Rod Grinter

Infobox afl player | firstname = Rod
lastname = Grinter




birthdate = 26 May 1965
birthplace =
originalteam =
heightweight = 182 cm / 85 kg
dead =
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = 1985
debutteam = Melbourne
debutopponent =
debutstadium =
playingteams = Melbourne (1985-94)
* 134 games, 57 goals
coach = notcoach
coachingteams =
statsend = 1994
careerhighlights =

Rodney 'Balls' Grinter (born 26 May 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the VFL and AFL.

Defender Rod Grinter is most remembered for an incident early in the 1988 VFL season when he struck Footscray's Terry Wallace in the face with his forearm , causing Wallace to leave the field in a stretcher. Grinter received a six week suspension for 'bringing the game into disrepute' and finished the year in Melbourne's losing Grand Final side against Hawthorn.

Grinter was involved in another famous incident in the previous season's Preliminary Final against the same opponents. He was the man on the mark when Jim Stynes ran between him and Gary Buckenara which resulted in a free kick and goal to win after the siren from Buckenara.

He was suspended in 1990 for nine matches for eye-gouging and striking an Essendon player at Windy Hill.

After playing most of his career in defence, Grinter was moved into the forward line in 1993 and retired following season when he managed only nine games.

References

*AflRleague|ref=R/Rod_Grinter.html
*Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). "The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers". 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.