Sam Newman
John Noel William "Sam" Newman (born 22 December 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Sam Newman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | John Noel William Newman | ||
| Nickname(s) | Sam, Fossil, Foss | ||
| Date of birth | 22 December 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Geelong, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Geelong Grammar School | ||
| Height | 189 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 94 kg (207 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Ruck, forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1964–1980 | Geelong | 300 (110) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| Victoria | 8 (?) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1980. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
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Club
Representative
Overall
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
A talented and athletic player who served a football apprenticeship under the legendary Graham "Polly" Farmer, Newman became the Cats' main ruckman after Farmer departed at the end of 1967, overcoming a number of serious injuries throughout his career to become the first Geelong player to reach 300 senior VFL games.
After retiring in 1980, Newman served as a specialist ruck coach at various AFL clubs and forged a notable career in the media, particularly with Melbourne-based radio station 3AW and the Nine Network as a panel member of The Footy Show, one of the network's most popular and often controversial programs