Peter Carey (Australian rules footballer)

Peter Carey
Personal information
Full name Peter Gareth Carey
Nickname(s) Super
Date of birth (1954-01-27) 27 January 1954 (age 70)
Height 194 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight 95 kg (14 st 13 lb; 209 lb)
Position(s) Ruckman
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1971–1988 Glenelg 423 (487) [1]
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
South Australia 19 (?)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1988.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Peter Gareth Carey OAM (born 27 January 1954) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) from 1971 to 1988.

Nicknamed "Super" and regarded as surprisingly agile for a player of his considerable size and a strong overhead mark,[2] Carey began his career playing mainly as a forward, forming a memorable partnership with full-forward Fred Phillis, before moving into the ruck for the remainder of his career.

He is the current SANFL, South Australian elite football and Glenelg games record holder, and as of 2022, is the only SANFL or South Australian elite football player to have played 400 games or more. Carey's total of 423 premiership games was the elite Australian rules football record until it was broken by Michael Tuck in the 1991 AFL Qualifying Final, and remained the record for most games played by an elite Australian rules footballer born in South Australia until it was broken by Craig Bradley in Round 2 of the 2001 AFL season. As of 2022, Carey ranks fifth behind Bradley (464), Shaun Burgoyne (433), Brent Harvey (432) and Tuck (426).

Carey also played 19 interstate football matches for South Australia and 25 pre-season/night series matches for Glenelg (which are counted as senior by the SANFL but not the VFL/AFL). If these are included, Carey played a total of 467 career senior games, which was an elite Australian rules football record until broken by Bradley in either of Round 11 of 2001 (using the AFL's total), Round 18 of 2000 (excluding Bradley's International Rules matches), or Round 11 of 2000 (using Bradley's overall total).

As of 2022, Carey's total of 467 remains a South Australian elite football record, and depending on the viewpoint taken:

  • Using the AFL's total, Carey ranks second in elite Australian rules football behind Bradley, who played 501 career senior games.
  • Excluding International Rules matches, Carey ranks third behind Bradley (519) and Brent Harvey (480).
  • Including International Rules matches, Carey ranks equal third with Shaun Burgoyne behind Bradley (528) and Harvey (491).

A member of both the South Australian and Australian Football Hall of Fame, Carey was an integral part of the Glenelg team during one of its most successful (but frustrating) eras, playing in ten SANFL Grand finals for three premierships.

He is currently serving as Glenelg's club president,[3] having taken over the role from fellow club legend Nick Chigwidden in October 2019.

  1. ^ These tallies refer to premiership matches (home-and-away and finals matches) only.
  2. ^ Phelan, Jason (22 May 2009). "Profile: Peter Carey". AFL Media.
  3. ^ "Board & Staff - Glenelg Football Club". Retrieved 19 August 2021.