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Key Facts
Full name
Kepler Bradley
Known as
Kepler Bradley
Born
13 November 1985 (age 38)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 136d
Last game: 27y 164d
Height and weight
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 100 kg
Senior clubs
Essendon; Australia; Fremantle
Jumper numbers
Essendon: 16
Fremantle: 26
Recruited from
Essendon (2008)
Kepler Bradley
| Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | AFL | 2004-2007 | 49 | 14 | 0.29 | 27% | 7.08 | 5.96 | 4.71 | 0 |
| Australia | IR | 2005 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fremantle | AFL | 2008-2013 | 68 | 73 | 1.07 | 46% | 7.71 | 7.12 | 4.62 | 4 |
| AFL | 2004-2013 | 117 | 87 | 0.74 | 38% | 7.44 | 6.63 | 4.66 | 4 | |
| IR | 2005 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | 2004-2013 | 118 | 87 | 0.74 | — | — | — | — | — | |
AFL: 11,314th player to appear, 1,988th most games played, 1,258th most goals kickedEssendon: 1,042nd player to appear, 362nd most games played, 392nd most goals kickedFremantle: 134th player to appear, 80th most games played, 28th most goals kicked
Kepler Bradley played 117 AFL matches for Essendon and Fremantle over 10 seasons.
Bradley was taken high in the 2003 AFL Draft, with Essendon's first selection at no. 6 overall. He made his AFL debut in the first game of the 2004 season – Essendon's 96-point loss to Port Adelaide – and finished with 5 games in his debut year. A very tall and agile player, Bradley has played as a forward, defender, wingman, ruckman and even ruck rover.
2005 saw Bradley mainly used in key defensive positions by coach Kevin Sheedy and he became a more permanent fixture in the side. In 2006 he was selected for all but one game, however the first half of 2007 saw Bradley's opportunities limited to just two appearances, largely due to the recruiting of former Brisbane star Mal Michael and the meteoric rise of young Paddy Ryder, both playing key roles in the Essendon defence with veteran Dustin Fletcher, leaving little room for another tall player in the backline.
Bradley's fall from grace was put down by many to his crucial mistakes in The ANZAC Day clash, where his risky kick across goal was intercepted by Tarkyn Lockyer, costing the Bombers a goal. After this match, his disposal skills were put under increased scrutiny.
Nevertheless, as a versatile player, he was prominent as a forward for the Bendigo Bombers.
At the end of the 2007 season Bradley was one of four players delisted after a deal to trade him to Fremantle Dockers was not able to be made during trade week.
He then returned to Western Australia and began training with the Dockers, who selected him with their 5th round selection (69th overall) in the National Draft. He made his debut for Fremantle in Round 8 of 2008 in the Dockers 3 point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval, where he collected 21 possessions and a goal. Kepler went on to become the club's leading goalscorer for the 2011 season, kicking 25 goals and eventually tying with Chris Mayne.
In round 5 of the 2013 AFL season, Bradley was one of three AFL players to rupture the anterior cruciate ligament in their knee. Bradley's incident was unusual in that he was kicking the ball at the time and an opponent fell into his elevated leg, rather than the more usual twisting or landing incidents. He underwent a knee reconstruction and missed the remainder of the season.
In August 2014, Bradley announced he would retire at the end of the 2014 season.