Australian Football

Drafted by Adelaide from Central District before he had played a senior SANFL match, Peter Vardy made his league debuts with both the Crows and the Bulldogs in 1996. He spent the majority of the 1996 season with Centrals, where his 15 appearances and 18 goals culminated in participation in the club's losing Grand Final against Port Adelaide.

In 1997 Vardy began to make more of an impact with the Crows, but a shoulder injury forced him to miss the team's Grand Final win over St Kilda. Elusive and inventive, he served the club well on a wing or, more commonly, across half forward, and another fine season in 1998 was crowned with a two-goal performance in the Grand Final as the Crows beat North Melbourne. 

His form thereafter was undermined by a persistent groin injury, and the 2000 season even saw him playing a game back at Centrals. At the end of the 2001 season, after 96 AFL games and 150 goals for Adelaide, he was traded to Melbourne, where he enjoyed a couple of good seasons before his form began to decline. He retired at the end of the 2004 season, having added 41 games and 56 goals to his tallies while with the Demons.

Author - John Devaney