Footyinfo

Tony Modra

Adelaide and Fremantle

AFL career

165 games588 goals

Debut
R4 1992 v FIT11 Apr 1992
Most recent
R15 2001 v WBD14 July 2001

Stats

2001
FRE
11
5.5
1.6
7.2
3.2
0.7
0.5
0.7
2.5
1.4
48
2000
FRE
16
6.8
1.2
8.0
3.9
0.6
0.4
0.2
3.1
1.6
55
1999
FRE
20
8.3
0.9
9.2
4.1
0.9
1.1
0.4
3.6
2.2
61
1998
ADE
8
5.8
1.6
7.4
3.3
0.6
0.8
0.4
2.4
1.0
46
1997
ADE
25
7.2
0.9
8.1
3.7
1.1
1.0
0.5
3.4
1.8
57
1996
ADE
19
7.6
0.7
8.3
4.6
0.9
0.8
0.6
3.9
1.7
64
1995
ADE
16
6.8
1.6
8.3
3.4
0.8
0.6
0.3
2.6
1.8
51
1994
ADE
19
7.7
1.6
9.3
4.5
0.9
0.8
0.2
3.7
2.1
63
1993
ADE
23
10.4
1.8
12.2
7.1
1.1
1.4
0.3
5.6
2.7
91
1992
ADE
8
5.1
0.9
6.0
3.0
0.3
0.6
0.1
2.6
1.4
42
League
Season
WBD
CS
R15
4
1
5
3
0
0
0
2
1.3
40
PAD
SUB
R14
4
3
7
3
1
0
0
1
2.1
45
STK
SUB
R12
11
3
14
4
3
0
1
2
4.2
89
KAN
CS
R11
6
1
7
3
1
1
0
1
4.0
55
GEE
SUB
R8
3
3
6
2
0
1
0
0
1.2
26
MEL
SUB
R6
10
1
11
6
2
0
0
1
3.2
76
BRL
Gabba
R5
2
3
5
0
0
0
0
0
0.1
13
WCE
SUB
R4
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
0
1.0
10
HAW
SUB
R3
7
3
10
5
0
2
0
1
3.2
60
COL
CS
R2
4
0
4
3
0
0
0
0
3.1
40
CAR
SUB
R1
8
0
8
6
0
0
0
0
5.1
73

Profile

Born
01 Mar 1969 (age 57y 241d)
Birthplace
McLaren Vale, SA
Height
188 cm
Weight
95 kg

Teams

Honours

  • Coleman Medal1997
  • All-Australian(2×) 1993, 1997
  • Mark of the Year(3×) 1993, 1997, 2000
  • Goal of the Year1995
  • Fremantle B&F
    2nd
    1999
    Top 10
    2000
  • Adelaide B&F
    3rd
    1993
    Top 10
    1994, 1997

Recruited as a mature-age player from West Adelaide, Tony Modra burst onto the scene to become one of the most spectacular full forwards of the 1990s. Renowned for his extraordinary aerial ability and contested marking, he generated a level of fan mania in South Australia rarely seen in the sport. His breakout 1993 season saw him kick 129 goals, and he claimed the Coleman Medal in 1997, yet his tenure at the Crows was defined by unfortunate timing in September. He missed the 1997 premiership due to a devastating knee injury sustained in the Preliminary Final and was controversially omitted by coach Malcolm Blight for the 1998 Grand Final despite being fit to play.

Following the breakdown of his relationship with the Adelaide coaching staff, Modra was traded to Fremantle ahead of the 1999 season. He made an immediate impact at his new club, kicking 71 goals and earning All-Australian selection in his first year as a Docker, proving he remained an elite scorer when fully fit. However, recurring injuries eventually slowed his output, leading to his retirement midway through the 2001 season. Although he finished his career without a premiership medallion, Modra remains a cult hero across the league, remembered as arguably the most exciting player of his generation.