Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Shane Heard

Known as
Shane Heard

Born
28 July 1958 (age 65)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 276d
Last game: 33y 41d

Height and weight
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 79 kg

Senior clubs
Essendon

Jumper numbers
Essendon: 9, 45

Shane Heard

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
EssendonV/AFL1977-1987, 1991168390.2353%9.396.071.8923
Total1977-1987, 1991168390.2353%9.396.071.8923

AFL: 8,893rd player to appear, 1,011th most games played, 2,472nd most goals kickedEssendon: 844th player to appear, 60th most games played, 213th most goals kicked

Horsham Homers product Shane Heard was widely acknowledged as one of the supreme taggers of his era, which considering most teams at the time utilised more than one such player is high praise indeed. Pacy, skilful, rugged and unrelenting he could not have been better suited to the tagging role, although it took him several seasons to perform with consistency. He debuted for Essendon in 1977 and was on a  wing, tagging Robert DiPierdomenico, and one of his team's best when the Bombers achieved their drought-breaking grand final win of 1984 against Hawthorn. A year later he suffered the heartache of missing out on a second successive flag when he hurt a hamstring in the team's last pre-grand final training session and felt obliged to admit to Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy that he did not feel fit to take on the Hawks.

Shane Heard spent the period between 1988 and 1990 back in Horsham but in 1991 he was coaxed back for one last season in the big time. Aged thity-two he showed that he had lost none of his sparkle or zest. He finally retired at season's end after 168 games for the Bombers during which he kicked 39 goals.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main; Those Magnificent Men 1897-1987 by Michael Maplestone

Footnotes

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