Tony Lockett

Tony Lockett
Tony Lockett
Personal information
Full name	Anthony Lockett
Nickname(s)	"Plugger"
Date of birth	9 March 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth	Ballarat, Victoria
Original team(s)	North Ballarat (BFL)
Height	191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	112 kg (247 lb)
Position(s)	Full-forward
Playing career1
Years	Club
1983–1994	St Kilda
1995–1999, 2002	Sydney
Total
Representative team honours
Years	Team
	Victoria
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2002.
Career highlights
	Club Most goals scored by an individual in the VFL/AFL: 1,360; Brownlow Medal: (1987); 4× Coleman Medal: (1987, 1991, 1996, 1998); 10× St Kilda leading goalkicker: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994; 5× Sydney leading goalkicker: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999; 2× St Kilda Best & Fairest: (1987, 1991); Bob Skilton Medal: (1995); VFLPA MVP: (1987); 5× All-Australian team: (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998); E. J. Whitten Medal: (1995); Australian Football Hall of Fame, inducted 2006, Legend status 2015; Sydney Team of the Century – Full-forward; St Kilda Team of the Century – Full-forward;
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Anthony Howard Lockett (born 9 March 1966) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Nicknamed "Plugger", he played as a full-forward and holds the VFL/AFL record for career goals, scoring 1,360 goals in total.

Inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and upgraded to Legend status in 2015, he is the most prolific goalkicker in VFL/AFL history, breaking Gordon Coventry's 62-year record in 1999 with his 1300th goal and eventually finishing with 1,360 goals from 281 games. He became the first full-forward to be awarded the Brownlow Medal (achieved in 1987), won the Coleman Medal four times, and kicked more than 100 goals in a season on six occasions (an AFL record he shares with Jason Dunstall of Hawthorn).

While Lockett's accomplishments and statistics support his status as an Australian football hero, his individual influence on St. Kilda and Sydney is also noteworthy. He arrived at St Kilda when the club was in the doldrums and became the man on whose shoulders the club's fortunes depended. Similarly, when he moved to Sydney in 1995, the Swans were struggling both on and off the field; they had finished bottom of the ladder in 1994 and were battling to stay relevant in the heart of rugby league territory. After kicking more than 100 goals three times in four seasons and famously booting a point to send Sydney into the 1996 AFL Grand Final, Lockett helped to ensure Australian rules football would have a lasting future in the Harbour City.

Lockett's achievements are all the more remarkable given the significant chunks of time he missed through injury and suspension. Besides suffering from chronic asthma, he struggled to maintain his weight (which fluctuated from 95 to 112 kg over the years, according to listings in AFL Records) and required painkillers to manage the ongoing effects of a torn groin muscle.^[1] Lockett was not afraid to use his size and strength to unsettle opponents, but his aggression also resulted in him being frequently reported for striking and rough conduct. He appeared before the AFL Tribunal 16 times over his career and was suspended for a total of 23 matches.^[2]

^ Cite error: The named reference six was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Browne, Ashley (4 June 2015). "Lockett becomes a Legend". Sydney Swans.

[six-1] Cite error: The named reference six was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Browne, Ashley (4 June 2015). "Lockett becomes a Legend". Sydney Swans.

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