Australian Football

Originally from Preston Boys Club, where he played between 1946 and 1949, Geoff Leek was residentially bound to Collingwood, but was cleared from that club to Essendon in 1950. After spending his first season with the Bombers in the thirds he graduated to league ranks in 1952 where he belied his somewhat ungainly style by developing into a knock ruckman par excellence. A wholehearted team player, "he gave his rovers an armchair ride with his clever and controlled palming from the packs".¹ He was also surprisingly quick and sure-footed for his size (194 cm, 96 kg), making him a dominating presence all over the ground, let down only by some slipshod kicking.

Leek played 191 VFL games and booted 98 goals for the Dons between 1951 and 1962. One of his finest performances came in his last ever game, the victorious Grand Final of 1962 against Carlton, when he took to the field with the aid of pain-killing injections whilst suffering from an ankle injury. He was vice-captain of Essendon for the final six seasons of his league career, which at the time was claimed to be a record.

Author - John Devaney