Mark Blake (born 9 September 1985) is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A tap ruckman,[2][3] 2.00 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall and weighing 102 kilograms (225 lb), Blake played 99 games for Geelong between 2005 and 2010, including the 2009 AFL Premiership.
| Mark Blake | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Mark Blake | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Mark Blake | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Geelong | ||
| Original team(s) | South Barwon / Geelong U18 | ||
| Height | 200 cm (6 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Weight | 102 kg (225 lb)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Ruckman | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2005–2010 | Geelong | 99 (12) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2011. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Career
editBlake was drafted in the 2003 AFL Draft under the father–son rule, his father being former Geelong ruckman Rod Blake. He debuted in 2005 in a losing game in front of a crowd of 28,165 at the SCG. Blake kicked his first two career goals against Richmond at Skilled Stadium in round 18, 2007.
After having little impact in the 2007 preliminary final against Collingwood, Blake was dropped on the eve of the 2007 AFL Grand Final for former Geelong captain and ruckman, Steven King.
2008 was a successful year for Blake, seeing him permanently become a part of Geelong's ruck duo along with Brad Ottens. Blake developed as a footballer substantially in 2008 and has improved his around the ground work.
2011 was a terrible year for Blake, getting no AFL appearances and was said to be trade bait. On 19 October 2011 Blake announced his retirement, effective immediately.
Personal life
editBlake attended high school at Belmont High in Geelong, and played grassroots football for South Barwon in the Geelong Football League.
Statistics
edit G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks | H/O
|
Hit-outs |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | ||||
| 2004 | Geelong | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | Geelong | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 27 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 9.0 |
| 2006 | Geelong | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 45 | 57 | 16 | 9 | 97 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 5.6 | 7.1 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 12.1 |
| 2007 | Geelong | 24 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 62 | 147 | 209 | 65 | 26 | 379 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 17.2 |
| 2008 | Geelong | 24 | 25 | 6 | 6 | 77 | 179 | 256 | 87 | 22 | 525 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3.1 | 7.2 | 10.2 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 21.0 |
| 2009 | Geelong | 24 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 149 | 196 | 46 | 25 | 482 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 7.1 | 9.3 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 23.0 |
| 2010 | Geelong | 24 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 156 | 199 | 45 | 13 | 379 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 7.8 | 10.0 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 19.0 |
| 2011 | Geelong | 24 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 99 | 12 | 16 | 248 | 687 | 935 | 265 | 96 | 1889 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 6.9 | 9.4 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 19.1 | ||
Honours and achievements
edit| Brownlow Medal votes | |
| Season | Votes |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| Total | 2 |
Team
- AFL Premiership (Geelong): 2009
- AFL McClelland Trophy (Geelong): 2007, 2008
- AFL NAB Cup (Geelong): 2006, 2009
Individual
- Vic Country representative honours at the AFL Under 18 Championships: 2003
References
edit- ^ a b "Mark Blake Player Profile". geelongcats.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ Gullan, Scott (10 March 2011). "Rule change to the bench claims Geelong ruckman Mark Blake". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ "Chris Scott gives Mark Blake OK to look at options". Herald Sun. 7 July 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ "Mark Blake". AFL Tables.
External links
edit- Mark Blake's profile on the official website of the Geelong Football Club
- Mark Blake's playing statistics from AFL Tables