Stephen Carey
Essendon and Geelong
AFL career
112 games6 goals
- Debut
- R16 1980 v SME19 July 1980
- Most recent
- R18 1986 v FSC2 Aug 1986
Stats
Bio
Recruited from North Launceston in Tasmania, Stephen "Stan" Carey was a rugged, old-school defender known for his close-checking capabilities and physical approach to the contest. Establishing himself as a regular in the Essendon backline during the early 1980s, he was the type of honest footballer Kevin Sheedy valued—disciplined, hard-tackling, and team-oriented, a trait recognized when he won the Best Clubman award in 1981. Carey played a significant role in the Bombers' rise to power, featuring in the 1983 Grand Final loss to Hawthorn, though he suffered the personal heartbreak of missing the historic 1984 premiership side due to injury, watching on as an emergency.
Carey achieved his redemption the following season, earning his place on the interchange bench to become a premiership player in Essendon's dominant 1985 Grand Final victory over the Hawks. His VFL career took an unexpected turn early in 1986 when he was controversially cleared to Geelong mid-season, playing out his final handful of senior games at Kardinia Park before moving to the SANFL to play for West Torrens. Despite the abrupt exit, he remains best remembered at Windy Hill as a tough-as-nails back pocket who earned his premiership medallion the hard way.
Profile
- Born
- 14 Oct 1959 (age 66y 358d)
- Height
- 180 cm
- Weight
- 89 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from North Launceston in Tasmania, Stephen "Stan" Carey was a rugged, old-school defender known for his close-checking capabilities and physical approach to the contest. Establishing himself as a regular in the Essendon backline during the early 1980s, he was the type of honest footballer Kevin Sheedy valued—disciplined, hard-tackling, and team-oriented, a trait recognized when he won the Best Clubman award in 1981. Carey played a significant role in the Bombers' rise to power, featuring in the 1983 Grand Final loss to Hawthorn, though he suffered the personal heartbreak of missing the historic 1984 premiership side due to injury, watching on as an emergency.
Carey achieved his redemption the following season, earning his place on the interchange bench to become a premiership player in Essendon's dominant 1985 Grand Final victory over the Hawks. His VFL career took an unexpected turn early in 1986 when he was controversially cleared to Geelong mid-season, playing out his final handful of senior games at Kardinia Park before moving to the SANFL to play for West Torrens. Despite the abrupt exit, he remains best remembered at Windy Hill as a tough-as-nails back pocket who earned his premiership medallion the hard way.