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Key Facts

Full name
Matthew Armstrong

Known as
Matthew Armstrong

Born
1 March 1967 (age 57)

Place of birth
Hobart, TAS (7000)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 20y 27d
Last game: 29y 204d

Height and weight
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 76 kg

Senior clubs
Hobart; Fitzroy; North Melbourne

Jumper numbers
Fitzroy: 14
North Melbourne: 14

Recruited from
Hobart (1987); Fitzroy (1995)

State of origin
TAS

Matthew Armstrong

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
Hobart
FitzroyV/AFL1987-1994132710.5439%13.465.842.3642
North MelbourneAFL1995-199643180.4267%11.056.092.098
V/AFL1987-1996175890.5146%12.875.902.3050
Total1987-1996175890.51

AFL: 9,757th player to appear, 923rd most games played, 1,223rd most goals kickedFitzroy: 1,041st player to appear, 64th most games played, 63rd most goals kickedNorth Melbourne: 839th player to appear, 308th most games played, 275th most goals kicked

A strong running, talented on-baller, wingman or half back, Matthew Armstrong was one of Fitzroy’s most noteworthy performers during the closing years of that club’s VFL/AFL tenure. Were it not for a serious knee injury sustained in 1990, just as he was showing signs of developing into a genuine superstar, Armstrong’s achievements might well have been even more noteworthy, with even a Brownlow being within the bounds of possibility. 

As it was he was a consistent and occasionally brilliant player for the Lions over the course of 132 games between 1987 and 1994. He also represented both Victoria (once) and his home state (three times) in state of origin football and was a particularly noteworthy performer in the 1988 bicentennial carnival in Adelaide.

In 1995 Fitzroy traded him to North Melbourne where he added a final 43 AFL games over two seasons. In 1995 in particular he was an extremely damaging player for North, but his AFL career ended in immense disappointment when he was omitted from the ‘Roos’ 1996 grand final team against Sydney, and thus missed the chance to earn a premiership medallion. 

After leaving the Kangaroos, Armstrong joined the Northern Bombers, where he finished his senior career. When Tasmania entered a team in the VFL in 2001 Matthew Armstrong was appointed as the fledgling club’s inaugural coach. In 2003 he managed to steer the club into the finals, an achievement that was repeated in both of the next two seasons. However, a sequence of poor results midway through the 2006 season precipitated his departure.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Full Points Footy's Tasmanian Football Companion

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.