Gerald Betts
Collingwood and Richmond
AFL career
37 games5 goals
- Debut
- R13 1974 v FIT29 June 1974
- Most recent
- R15 1979 v NTH14 July 1979
Stats
Bio
A defensive recruit from Swan Hill, Gerald Betts faced the enviable but difficult task of breaking into Richmond's powerhouse lineup of the mid-1970s. While he impressed as a key member of the Tigers' 1973 reserves premiership side, the sheer quality of the senior backline restricted him to sporadic appearances, prompting a move to the WAFL with East Perth in 1976 to seek regular football. Betts returned to the VFL a year later with Collingwood, where his close-checking style and strong overhead marking proved a good fit for a Magpies outfit surging up the ladder under Tom Hafey. He quickly established himself as a reliable backman capable of playing on both tall and small forwards, a versatility that saw him selected on the bench for both the famous drawn 1977 Grand Final and the replay loss the following week. After adding a Night Premiership to his CV in 1979, he returned to the West to finish his playing days with Claremont.
Profile
- Born
- 05 Oct 1954 (age 72y 16d)
- Height
- 187 cm
- Weight
- 85 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionA defensive recruit from Swan Hill, Gerald Betts faced the enviable but difficult task of breaking into Richmond's powerhouse lineup of the mid-1970s. While he impressed as a key member of the Tigers' 1973 reserves premiership side, the sheer quality of the senior backline restricted him to sporadic appearances, prompting a move to the WAFL with East Perth in 1976 to seek regular football. Betts returned to the VFL a year later with Collingwood, where his close-checking style and strong overhead marking proved a good fit for a Magpies outfit surging up the ladder under Tom Hafey. He quickly established himself as a reliable backman capable of playing on both tall and small forwards, a versatility that saw him selected on the bench for both the famous drawn 1977 Grand Final and the replay loss the following week. After adding a Night Premiership to his CV in 1979, he returned to the West to finish his playing days with Claremont.