Interview With Geoff Jennings

[Max469]

For those interested, there will be an interview with Geoff Jennings in Inside Football this week. my outright favourite player as a kid and club captain in '83 from memory.

Thanks, love him. my all time fav, loved him since primary school. ahhh

[raels_d]

I'm a new member to the group and was thrilled to find this interview. Geoff Jennings was my teenage heart throb. I still have my autograph book with his signature and my 'I love Geoff Jennings' doodles. 25 is still my lucky number. Happy to read he has a 11 year old son who loves football - might be another future father/son.

[westdog54]

Good to have you on board raels

[Twodogs]

Welcome board raels. I can remember watching the #25 arching his back to avoid the arms of opponents and running away from them. Jennings was a gun.

[Bulldog4life]

I'm a new member to the group and was thrilled to find this interview. Geoff Jennings was my teenage heart throb. I still have my autograph book with his signature and my 'I love Geoff Jennings' doodles. 25 is still my lucky number. Happy to read he has a 11 year old son who loves football - might be another future father/son.

Thank God there is an "s" on doodle.

[FrediKanoute]

How is Jennings Jnr travelling? A likely prospect?

[Bulldog4life]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/ne...geoff-jennings

Whatever Happened To...Geoff Jennings

Senior player: 1974–83
Guernsey number: 25
Height: 178 cm
Playing weight: 76 kg
Captain: 1979, 1980, 1981
Senior games: 137
Goals: 136
Finals: 2 (1974 elimination final, 1976 elimination final)
Interstate selection: 1977, 1978, 1979
Night games: 5
Night goals: 6
Recruited from: Traralgon

Geoff Jennings was recruited to Footscray in 1974 from Traralgon, in the LaTrobe Valley where many notable players (including Bernie Quinlan and Kelvin Templeton) were recruited. Geoff’s career at Footscray began at the same time as that of Templeton, Terry Wheeler, and Ted Whitten Jnr and, despite suffering a serious shoulder injury after only seven games and requiring reconstructive surgery, he recovered to play in the elimination final in his first season (1974). He also played in Footscray’s elimination final side in 1976.

A classy rover, Geoff was selected in the Victorian state sides of 1977, 1978 and 1979, and was captain of the Footscray side from 1979 to 1981 – the youngest captain in the VFL at the time of his appointment.

After recurring injuries led him to retire as a player, at the age of 28 at the end of the 1983 season, Geoff became coach of the Footscray reserves for the 1985 season (the year the senior side made it to a preliminary final under coach Mick Malthouse).

In 1986, Geoff’s role changed to that of hosting the matchday functions for sponsors in the Footscray social club and, in 1987, he shifted to Queensland where he still lives today.

Soon after moving to Queensland, Geoff became coach of the Wilston Grange Gorillas in the Queensland Football League (QFL). In 1990, Wilston Grange amalgamated with Kedron Football Club to become Kedron Grange and Geoff continued to coach the amalgamated team for another couple of years before taking a year off. After that year out of football, he began coaching Mt Gravatt who had approached him to assist them to be promoted to the top division. It only took a couple of months for Mt Gravatt to be told they were to be promoted. In the first game they played, Geoff’s Mt Gravatt team were beaten by 200 points but they ended up winning six games for the season. In one game, under lights, Mt Gravatt came within 10 points of a Southport side which included Warwick Capper [Sydney Swans and Brisbane Bears/Lions]. Geoff coached Mt Gravatt for four years – taking the team to the semi-final in his second year and to two grand finals in the years following.

All but ready to give coaching away, Geoff was approached by the Western Magpies (formerly the Sherwood Football Club) who were attempting to make it into the top division of the Queensland State League. Accepting the position of coach, Geoff was successful in taking the Western Magpies into the top division. In his time as a coach, Geoff also coached Queensland State sides for five years. These teams included some Brisbane Bears VFL/AFL players.

When he was a boy, Geoff’s dreams had always been to play football and to become a teacher. He considers himself fortunate to have lived both these dreams, becoming a physical education teacher who still enjoys teaching, and having played a total of 137 games of VFL/AFL football. He considers himself particularly fortunate when he recalls the brilliant players who didn’t make it at senior level or whose careers were cut short by injury.

Geoff is still an ardent Bulldogs supporter but, nowadays, just watches footy on television (admitting he hasn’t seen a live game in a while) and plays a bit of golf. He says that football, was a great experience for him – with the friendships he made being what was best about it.



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[Max469]

[QUOTE=Bulldog4life;470192]http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/ne...geoff-jennings

Whatever Happened To...Geoff Jennings


As a lot of the members who have been around for a while would know.......I am very happy to see this article. Ahhhhhh

[bornadog]

As a lot of the members who have been around for a while would know.......I am very happy to see this article. Ahhhhhh

Loved watching him run around.

[Bulldog4life]

[QUOTE=Max469;470264]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/ne...geoff-jennings

Whatever Happened To...Geoff Jennings


As a lot of the members who have been around for a while would know.......I am very happy to see this article. Ahhhhhh

Click on the link and you can see his recent pic Max

[Max469]

[QUOTE=Bulldog4life;470276]

Click on the link and you can see his recent pic Max

Thanks and he is still as cute as he was as a 10 year old. lol

[Twodogs]

You guys and your hyper texting habits makes me laugh.

[1eyedog]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/ne...fs-great-start

[Twodogs]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/ne...fs-great-start

A broken shoulder? Ouch!