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Bradley Gotch (born 23 June 1962) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy and St. Kilda in the Victorian Football League.
Gotch was one of smallest players of his era at 165 cm and possessed an accurate left foot pass. After being delisted by Fitzroy at the end of 1985 he went to Port Adelaide where he played one season. After impressing at Port Adelaide, he returned to Melbourne to play for the St Kilda Football Club. His best goal kicking feat was for St Kilda against his old side Fitzroy where he kicked seven goals in a game, in 1987. He finished his career playing local football for Dandenong.
Gotch coached Williamstown in the VFL from 2002 to 2009, becoming the second-longest serving coach in the club's history coaching the club to finals in 6 of the 8 years including the 2003 VFL premiership. He also worked in development coaching roles with both Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs alignments during those years. Recently he was appointed senior coach of the Casey Scorpions for the 2010 season, taking over from Peter German.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Gotch#cite_note-2
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The Gotch name has been around football at the highest level for more than five decades. Graham Gotch was a solid defender who played 52 games with Fitzroy from 1956-1960. Son Brad (born 23 June 1962) played 43 games and kicked 60 goals as a rover for the Lions from 1982-85 before briefly switching to SANFL club Port Adelaide in 1986. Halfway through that season he was snapped up by St. Kilda where the diminutive Gotch (166 cm 63 kg) added 53 more games and 62 goals to his resume. Despite his size he was always a handful for opposition sides and his left foot passing was deadly. His best goal haul with the Saints was seven against his old club.
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Gotch was actually cut part-way through the 1985 season, along with Leigh Carlson and Les Parish; becoming the first victims of the VFL's brand new salary cap.
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MELBOURNE development coach Brad Gotch faces a nervous wait to see if he will be rewarded with a new contract after the Casey Scorpions were bundled out of the VFL finals. The Scorpions' senior coach wants a new deal after guiding teams into the top four for six consecutive years.
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The Gardiner Medal was an Australian rules football award, formerly awarded to the best and fairest player in the VFL Reserves competition.
- 1999 – Daniel Healy (St Kilda)
- 1998 – Simon Arnott (Sydney)
- 1997 – Brad Lloyd (Hawthorn)
- 1996 – Trent Nichols (North Melbourne)
- 1995 – Simon Crawshay (Hawthorn)
- 1994 – David Bain (Fitzroy)
- 1993 – Rod Keogh (Melbourne)
- 1992 – Mick Dwyer (St Kilda)
- 1991 – Stephen Anderson (Collingwood)
- 1990 – Rod Keogh (Melbourne)
- 1989 – Michael Kol (Geelong)
- 1988 – Tony Liberatore (Footscray)
- 1987 – Brad Gotch (St Kilda)
- 1986 – Tony Liberatore (Footscray)
- 1985 – James Bennett (Hawthorn), Greg Dear (Hawthorn)
- 1984 – Jim Stephenson (Footscray)
- 1983 – John Taylor (Footscray)
- 1982 – Roger Merrett (Essendon)
- 1981 – Malcolm Reed (Geelong), Daryl Vernon (Richmond)
In his early playing days at Fitzroy, St Kilda and a stint at Port Adelaide, Brad was always viewed as a border line player, one who was always fighting against the odds. “I was a guy who was always up and down between the seniors and the reserves, so it helped me understand that mentality, and that’s why I have a lot to offer the VFL guys moving into AFL footy,” he said.
Fitzroy 15.15.105
Geelong 4.18.48
Grant Lawrie at centre-half-back, Brad Gotch and Gary Sidebottom on the ball and Leigh Carlson on the forward line were the best in a Fitzroy side which looked too good to be playing out the season on the wrong side of the five.
Fitzroy 11.11.77
Hawthorn 10.7.67
And that is how Fitzroy won. It's smaller players, particularly Bill Lokan, Brad Gotch, Doug Barwick, Leigh Carlson and Garry Wilson swamped Hawthorn when the ball was skating along the turf, not only going and getting it, but being in the right place to hand it further along.
Gotch, Brad
11 games, 25 goals (1985)
Brad Gotch was a fleet footed rover recruited from Fitzroy midway through the 1985 season. Aside from a few handy games as a goalsneak, Gotch failed to set the SANFL on fire, which subsequently left many pundits surprised when St Kilda recruited him at season's end.