Tony Liberatore's Brownlow caught in marriage split
BULLDOGS legend Tony Liberatore is facing demands to sell his 1990 Brownlow Medal as part of a bitter marriage split.
A treasure trove of football memorabilia belonging to Liberatore is being valued for sale after legal moves by his estranged wife, Jane.
She wants the proceeds to be kept in a trust for the education of the couple's three young children.
A source close to the dispute said Ms Liberatore had been left with no choice but to pursue the sale of the medals.
Liberatore, 42, is the only player to win the Brownlow Medal, Gardiner Medal (1986, 1988) and Morrish Medal (1984) as the league best-and-fairest in seniors, reserves and under-19s.
Prominent Melbourne sports memorabilia expert Rick Milne yesterday confirmed he had been engaged to price the medals, but declined to comment.
Liberatore said he was getting valuation advice, but had no intention of selling his Brownlow or any other football medals.
"They won't be sold. I'm not selling them," he said.
"I would never, ever sell them, even if it was the last thing I did just before I died."
Asked if his wife was entitled to half of the value of his medals, the 283-game veteran replied: "I don't know, to be quite honest."
Independent experts have predicted Liberatore's rare medal collection could fetch up to $200,000.
But one leading valuer, who would not be named, said a spate of bad publicity surrounding Liberatore in recent months could see their value plunge below $100,000.
"He's had a lot of bad press and that has a very dampening effect on value," the valuer said.
"When they get the bad press, it usually sticks."
Memorabilia prices for items involving troubled North Melbourne champ Wayne Carey have tumbled in recent times, he said.
The record price for a Brownlow Medal was $74,000, paid at auction nine years ago for the 1972 medal won by the late Collingwood ruckman Len Thompson.
Lawyers for Ms Liberatore, a school teacher, are also believed to be examining the value of other assets owned by the former Western Bulldog.
The couple's Essendon home recently sold for $1.3 million.
Liberatore, who is coaching Sunbury in the Ballarat Football League, has since purchased a property in Moonee Ponds in a deal involving former Bulldogs teammate Jose Romero.
The 163cm former midfielder rocked the football world on the eve of this year's AFL season by suggesting Carlton, where he was an assistant coach until this year, deliberately lost games in 2007 to obtain a priority draft pick.
A month earlier, Liberatore caused a furore by claiming that Bulldogs CEO Campbell Rose was more concerned with the club's finances than with winning matches.
Liberatore, known as "Libba", was recruited from Brunswick City to North Melbourne, where he played under-19s and reserve grade football.
He moved to Footscray in 1986, playing 283 games in a career that included 13 finals, life membership, and selection on the interchange bench in the club's Team of the Century.
BULLDOGS legend Tony Liberatore is facing demands to sell his 1990 Brownlow Medal as part of a bitter marriage split.
A treasure trove of football memorabilia belonging to Liberatore is being valued for sale after legal moves by his estranged wife, Jane.
She wants the proceeds to be kept in a trust for the education of the couple's three young children.
A source close to the dispute said Ms Liberatore had been left with no choice but to pursue the sale of the medals.
Liberatore, 42, is the only player to win the Brownlow Medal, Gardiner Medal (1986, 1988) and Morrish Medal (1984) as the league best-and-fairest in seniors, reserves and under-19s.
Prominent Melbourne sports memorabilia expert Rick Milne yesterday confirmed he had been engaged to price the medals, but declined to comment.
Liberatore said he was getting valuation advice, but had no intention of selling his Brownlow or any other football medals.
"They won't be sold. I'm not selling them," he said.
"I would never, ever sell them, even if it was the last thing I did just before I died."
Asked if his wife was entitled to half of the value of his medals, the 283-game veteran replied: "I don't know, to be quite honest."
Independent experts have predicted Liberatore's rare medal collection could fetch up to $200,000.
But one leading valuer, who would not be named, said a spate of bad publicity surrounding Liberatore in recent months could see their value plunge below $100,000.
"He's had a lot of bad press and that has a very dampening effect on value," the valuer said.
"When they get the bad press, it usually sticks."
Memorabilia prices for items involving troubled North Melbourne champ Wayne Carey have tumbled in recent times, he said.
The record price for a Brownlow Medal was $74,000, paid at auction nine years ago for the 1972 medal won by the late Collingwood ruckman Len Thompson.
Lawyers for Ms Liberatore, a school teacher, are also believed to be examining the value of other assets owned by the former Western Bulldog.
The couple's Essendon home recently sold for $1.3 million.
Liberatore, who is coaching Sunbury in the Ballarat Football League, has since purchased a property in Moonee Ponds in a deal involving former Bulldogs teammate Jose Romero.
The 163cm former midfielder rocked the football world on the eve of this year's AFL season by suggesting Carlton, where he was an assistant coach until this year, deliberately lost games in 2007 to obtain a priority draft pick.
A month earlier, Liberatore caused a furore by claiming that Bulldogs CEO Campbell Rose was more concerned with the club's finances than with winning matches.
Liberatore, known as "Libba", was recruited from Brunswick City to North Melbourne, where he played under-19s and reserve grade football.
He moved to Footscray in 1986, playing 283 games in a career that included 13 finals, life membership, and selection on the interchange bench in the club's Team of the Century.
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