Australian Football

A forward early in his VFL career, Peter Barry was converted by Carlton coach Ken Hands into a dogged, close-checking, highly dependable full back. It was while playing at full back that he was involved in a highly controversial incident which Geelong supporters still recall with anger and Carlton supporters with glee. The Cats and Blues were embroiled in a titanic tussle to see which of the two would get to play Essendon in the following week’s grand final. With the clock running down and Carlton five points to the good the Cats pumped the ball forward in the direction of Doug Wade, who already had six goals to his name. A one on one marking duel ensued featuring Geelong full forward Wade and Blues full back Peter Barry, with Wade using his body well to out-manoeuvre his opponent and take the grab. Uproar followed, as the umpire took the ball off the Geelong star and handed it to Barry, whom he believed had had his shorts held by Wade in the marking contest. Barry sunk his boot into a prodigious clearing kick and the siren went, catapulting the Blues into their first grand final in thirteen years.

There was to be no happy ending, however, as Essendon proved too good for Carlton when it mattered. Barry played 77 VFL games for the Blues and kicked 24 goals between 1958 and 1963, but the ‘62 flag decider was the closest he got to playing in a premiership side, in the VFL at any rate.

There was a happy ending of sorts though as the 1964 season found Peter Barry at VFA first division side Port Melbourne, for whom he played 10 games, the last of which was the 14.17 (101) to 10.5 (65) grand final defeat of Williamstown, when he lined up at centre half back.

Author - John Devaney