Graeme Schultz
Personal information
Full name Graeme William Schultz
Date of birth (1953-05-17) 17 May 1953
Original team(s) Warracknabeal
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 69 kg (152 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1971–1974 Essendon 58 (80)
1975–1981 Subiaco 85 (137)
1981–1983 Essendon 19 (35)
Total 162 (252)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1983.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Graeme William Schultz (born 17 May 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Schultz was a forward and rover, recruited to Essendon from Warracknabeal in the Wimmera Football League.[1] He kicked four goals on his league debut in 1971, against Hawthorn, which helped him to a season tally of 29 goals; this was just two behind the club's leading goalkicker that year, Alan Noonan.[2] His 16 games in 1974 were deemed to be some of his best, as he finished third in the W. S. Crichton Medal count.[2]

He made the decision to move to Western Australia after the 1974 season, for study purposes, but Essendon initially refused to grant him a clearance, which meant he could not play in the WANFL. They later gave in, and he played the second half of the 1975 season for Subiaco. Despite appearing in just 12 games, Schultz almost won the Sandover Medal, finishing only four votes behind winner Alan Quartermaine.

After six more seasons at Subiaco, Schultz was convinced by new Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy to return to the VFL in 1981. In his first season back, he played in the 1981 Night Premiership and bettered his previous season's goal tally by kicking 30 league goals, including a game-winning goal against Richmond in Round 13 at Windy Hill after taking a courageous mark going back with the flight of the ball.[2][3] Injury kept him to five games in 1982, and in his first appearance of the 1983 VFL season, against St Kilda, he broke his leg. He did not play another VFL game for Essendon, but he was a member of their 1983 reserves premiership–winning team.[4]

He spent part of the 1984 season with Footscray, without playing a senior game, before ending the year at Camberwell.

Schultz was given life membership to Essendon in 2011.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5.
  2. 1 2 3 AFL Tables: Graeme Schultz
  3. ↑ 1981 - Essendon vs Richmond - Rd 13 - Windy Hill, retrieved 30 December 2022
  4. ↑ "Schultz, Graeme W." Essendon Football Club official website. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "Official AFL Website of the Essendon Football Club". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
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