Trevor Barker

Trevor Barker (7 October 1956 – 26 April 1996) was an Australian rules footballer with the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1] Barker was seen in many ways a shining light during a particularly tough time on and off the field for St Kilda in the 1970s and 1980s.

Trevor Barker[1]
Personal information
Date of birth (1956-10-07)7 October 1956
Date of death 26 April 1996(1996-04-26) (aged 39)
Original team(s) Cheltenham
Debut Round 2, 12 April 1975, St Kilda
vs. Hawthorn, at Moorabbin Oval
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 71 kg (157 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1975–1989 St Kilda 230 (134)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1992–1994 Sandringham
1995 St Kilda reserves
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1989.
Career highlights
  • St Kilda best & fairest 1976, 1981
  • St Kilda captain 1983–1986
  • Victoria interstate representative (7 games)
  • St Kilda Team of the Century 1900–1999
  • St Kilda FC Hall of Fame – Legend Status
  • Australian Football Hall of Fame member
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

VFL career (1975–1989)

Barker was recruited from the Cheltenham Football Club in 1975.[2] He made his debut wearing number 25 against Hawthorn in round 2 on 12 April 1975.[3] He changed to his iconic number 1 in 1977. He was selected to represent Victoria at interstate level on seven times.

Barker won St Kilda's best and fairest award in 1976 and 1981.

Barker played during an era of little club success, which included St Kilda being wooden spooners in 1977, 1979, 1983–86 and 1988.

Barker was captain of the St Kilda Football Club from 1983 to 1986.[4] He was regularly featured in the VFL highlight reels with his high-marking and determined approach to the ball.

Barker's 230 games did not include a final, a VFL/AFL record, and he is one of only five players in the AFL/VFL to play 200 games or more without appearing in a final (the other four are Steve Smith and Gary Hardeman of Melbourne, teammate Geoff Cunningham and Ted Pool of Hawthorn).[5] As he got older he would regularly miss games through chronic injury until he retired after the 1989 season.

Many football experts noted that Barker could have easily fitted into the powerhouse teams of the competition and there were plays for his services but his loyalty never wavered and he stuck with the club throughout his entire career.

Coaching

After retiring from the Saints in 1989, Barker embarked on a coaching career with Victorian Football Association club Sandringham. He coached the Zebras to premierships in 1992 and 1994 before leaving after his second premiership to return to the Saints as an assistant coach to Stan Alves coaching the reserves team and mentoring young players.

Statistics
[6]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1975 St Kilda 251810211865624229N/A0.61.210.93.314.21.7N/A
1976 St Kilda 2519022052623143N/A0.00.110.81.412.22.3N/A
1977 St Kilda 121622732429770N/A0.30.113.01.114.13.3N/A
1978 St Kilda 12223244316249387N/A1.01.219.62.822.44.0N/A
1979 St Kilda 1159212454929459N/A0.61.416.33.319.63.9N/A
1980 St Kilda 1171272555931455N/A0.70.415.03.518.53.2N/A
1981 St Kilda 1196733014047077N/A0.30.417.47.424.74.1N/A
1982 St Kilda 1141651737725039N/A1.10.412.45.517.92.8N/A
1983 St Kilda 1161041858627153N/A0.60.311.65.416.93.3N/A
1984 St Kilda 1141271317620734N/A0.90.59.45.414.82.4N/A
1985 St Kilda 140131124311N/A0.00.37.83.010.82.8N/A
1986 St Kilda 11816102098329269N/A0.90.611.64.616.23.8N/A
1987 St Kilda 114431427822045290.30.210.15.615.73.22.1
1988 St Kilda 1723743711119130.30.410.65.315.92.71.9
1989 St Kilda 11288823111326130.70.76.82.69.42.21.1
Career 230 134 125 2952 896 3848 716 55 0.6 0.6 12.9 3.9 16.8 3.1 1.7

Death

Barker had to put his coaching career on hold midway through the 1995 season for health reasons. He died on 26 April 1996.[7] Barker was 39 when he died when his liver failed after a prolonged battle with colon cancer.

Legacy

His contribution to St Kilda, particularly in the 1980s when the club had severe financial difficulties, was significant.[8][9][10] St Kilda's best and fairest award, instituted in 1914, is named the Trevor Barker Award as a mark of respect to his contribution to the St Kilda Football Club.[11] Barker was named in the club's Team of the Century 1900–1999.[12]

His name was also inducted to the St Kilda Football Club Hall of Fame in 2003.

The home of the Sandringham Football Club was also named Trevor Barker Beach Oval, in his honour.[13]

His name was officially elevated to Legend Status in the St Kilda Football Club Hall of Fame on 4 May 2013 at an official club function.[14]

On 4 June 2019 he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.[15]

References
  1. "Full Points Footy – T Barker". Full Points Footy Player Profile – Trevor Barker. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  2. "Cheltenham FC – VFL/AFL Players – Trevor Barker". cheltenhamfc.com.au/vfl-afl-players.htm. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  3. "St Kilda – All Time Player List – Trevor Barker". AFL Tables. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  4. "St Kilda Football Club Official website – History – Honour Roll". saints.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  5. https://afltables.com/afl/stats/alltime/misc_players.html#11
  6. Trevor Barker's player profile at AFL Tables
  7. Flanagan, Martin (26 April 1996). "Cancer claims life of a number one Saint". The Age. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  8. "1970's VFL – St Kilda v Essendon – Trevor Barker of the Saints takes a mark". The Slattery Media Group. 13 November 1970. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  9. "1970's VFL – St Kilda v Geelong – Trevor Barker of the Saints takes a mark". The Slattery Media Group. 13 November 1970. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  10. "The Age – St Kilda star Trevor Barker leaps high for a spectacular mark against Melbourne at the MCG". The Age. 10 June 1980. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  11. "St Kilda Best & Fairest preview". St Kilda Football Club official website. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  12. "St Kilda Football Club Official website – History – Team of the Century". saints.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  13. "Australian Stadiums – Trevor Barker Oval". austadiums.com. 8 February 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  14. "'Barks' joins the greats". Official Website of the St Kilda Football Club – Holmesby, Luke. 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  15. "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
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