Bert Carey

Bert Carey was a dynamic utility and the most naturally gifted of the five footballing Carey brothers, forging a reputation as a country football legend despite a sporadic VFL career. After a brief initiation with Fitzroy in 1926, he moved to the Ovens and King League, where he became a local icon for Wangaratta, terrorising defences with his explosive pace and famously booting 13 goals in a single match against Rutherglen. His dominance in the bush prompted Hawthorn to recruit him in 1933, following in the footsteps of his brother Bill who had anchored the Hawks' defence in previous seasons. While Carey possessed uncanny goal sense and the versatility to play both forward and in the centre, he struggled to settle at Glenferrie Oval, eventually returning to the country before making a surprise, final cameo as a 32-year-old in 1937.