View source for Garry Sidebottom

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer (1954–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Garry Sidebottom
| image = 
| fullname = Garry Thomas Sidebottom
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1954|11|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Western Australia]]
| death_date =  {{Death date and age|2019|3|28|1954|11|21|df=y}}
| death_place = 
| originalteam = [[Swan Districts Football Club|Swan Districts]] ([[West Australian Football League|WANFL]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swandistrictsfc.com.au/download/2011_AnnualReport_FINAL_web.pdf|title=Annual report 2011|page=53}}</ref>
| height = 193 cm
| weight = 98 kg
| position = 
| years1 = 1973–77
| club1 = [[Swan Districts Football Club|Swan Districts]]
| games_goals1 = {{0}}80 (121)
| years2 = 1978–80
| club2 = [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]]
| games_goals2 = {{0}}54 {{0}}(86)
| years3 = 1981
| club3 = [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]]
| games_goals3 = {{0|00}}7 {{0|00}}(6)
| years4 = 1982–84
| club4 = [[Fitzroy Football Club|Fitzroy]]
| games_goals4 = {{0}}43 {{0}}(53)
| years5 = 1985–87
| club5 = [[Swan Districts Football Club|Swan Districts]]
| games_goals5 = {{0}}34 (107)
| years6 = 1974–85
| club6 = [[Western Australia Australian rules football team|Western Australia]]
| games_goals6 = {{0}}15 {{0}}(23)
| games_goalstotal = 233 (395)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/players/player/garry%2Bsidebottom/11240|title=Australian Football – Garry Sidebottom|year=2015|access-date=2015-08-10}}</ref>
| careerhighlights = *Swan Medal 1976, 1985
*WA State Team  1974–1980, 1983–1985
*Leading Goal kicker St Kilda 1979 (56 goals)
*Leading Goal kicker Swan Districts 1985 (78 goals)
}}

'''Garry Thomas Sidebottom''' (21 November 1954 – 28 March 2019) was an [[Australian rules football]] player who played for the [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]], [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]] and [[Fitzroy Football Club]]s in the [[Australian Football League|Victorian Football League]] (VFL) and [[Swan Districts Football Club|Swan Districts]] in the [[West Australian Football League]] (WAFL) during the 1970s and 1980s.

== Career ==
Sidebottom was a powerful and fearless player ideal for playing at [[centre half forward]] or as a [[Ruckman (Australian rules football position)|ruckman]]. A versatile forward good in the air and hard in the clinches, he kicked 228 goals while at Swan Districts and 104 goals while in the VFL.

He played in the inaugural State of Origin team for [[Western Australia Australian rules football team|Western Australia]] in 1977, when Western Australia defeated [[Victoria Australian rules football team|Victoria]]. In 1984 Sidebottom kicked six goals for Western Australia against Victoria in another famous victory to the Sandgropers. He represented Western Australia fifteen times in state games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/sh-sm.htm#Gary%20Sidebottom%20(Swan%20Districts,%20St%20Kilda,%20Geelong,%20Fitzroy)|title=Full Points Footy|year=2007|access-date=2007-08-17|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514091940/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/sh-sm.htm#Gary%20Sidebottom%20(Swan%20Districts,%20St%20Kilda,%20Geelong,%20Fitzroy)|archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref>

He joined St Kilda in 1978 and was their leading goal kicker in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.footygoss.com/index.php/main/columns/memory/view/where_are_they_now_garry_sidebottom/ |title=Where Are They Now?: Garry Sidebottom |date=20 June 2011 |first=Ron |last=Head}}</ref> In [[1980 VFL season|1980]], Sidebottom, while playing for St Kilda in a match against [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]] at Moorabbin was dazed when he was hit across his right eye by a flying beer can. He required medical attention before he was able to continue in the match.<ref>"'Sidey' downed by beer can", ''Football Times'', Messenger Publications:Adelaide. 10 April 1980, p. 14.</ref>  Despite captaining St Kilda in 1980, his contract was not renewed at the end of the season<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SOdUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4ZIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3037,3336816&dq=garry+sidebottom&hl=en|title=Sidebottom contract expires|date=22 September 1980|work=[[The Age]]}}</ref> and he left the club to join Geelong in 1981.

Sidebottom entered football folklore when he missed the [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]] team bus to play in the [[1981 VFL season#Preliminary final|1981 Preliminary Final]] against [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] due to a breakdown in communications. His team-mate [[Peter Johnston (footballer born 1957)|Peter Johnston]] took his place at the last minute, despite being told earlier he had not been selected, and went on to play despite having half a chicken and a bucket of chips along with a strawberry thickshake for lunch, and having smoked half a pack of Winfield Blue cigarettes on the way to VFL Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Geoff-McClure/New-side-to-bus-legend/2005/06/12/1118514924487.html|title=The Age New side to bus legend|access-date=2007-08-17 | location=Melbourne | date=2005-06-13|first=Geoff|last=McClure}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iC5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pJQDAAAAIBAJ&dq=sidebottom%20bus&pg=4530%2C3135792|title=Sidebottom misses out on Geelong secret|first=Mike|last=Coward|work=[[The Age]]|date=21 September 1981}}</ref>

To this day, many Geelong locals call the place where the road from Lara enters the Princes Highway "Sidey's Corner". This is where Garry and the team bus were supposed to meet up, but never did.

In April 1982 he was suspended by Geelong due to an unsatisfactory attitude.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TQNVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X5QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6712,4048176&dq=sidebottom+suspended+geelong&hl=en|title='Sidey' to return to West?|date=8 Apr 1982|first=Trevor|last=Grant|work=The Age}}</ref>  Despite suggestions that he may return to play for Swan Districts in the WAFL, he remained in Victoria and signed for {{AFL Fit}}, making his debut in July 1982.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pDdVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lZQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1706,213838&dq=sidebottom+fitzroy&hl=en|title=Fresh start for three 'recruits'|first=Ron|last=Carter|work=The Age|date=16 July 1982}}</ref>

In 1985 he left Fitzroy to rejoin Swan Districts, where he was their leading goal kicker<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swandistrictsfc.com.au/download/2011_AnnualReport_FINAL_web.pdf|title=Annual report 2011|page=55}}</ref> and won his second best and fairest award, nine years after his previous award, in 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swandistrictsfc.com.au/download/2011_AnnualReport_FINAL_web.pdf|title=Annual report 2011|page=15}}</ref>

Sidebottom returned to Swan Districts as a [[coach (sport)|coach]] of the [[Reserve team|reserves]] side in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://202.130.47.148/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1&Itemid=104|title=Swan Districts Football Club – 2007 Annual Report|year=2007|access-date=2012-11-26|page=20}}</ref>  He is the older brother of [[Allan Sidebottom]] who also played for Swan Districts, St Kilda and Fitzroy.<ref>{{Ref AFL Encyc|4th|596}}</ref>

He was inducted into the [[West Australian Football Hall of Fame]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/8954094/sidebottom-among-six-added-to-hall-of-fame/ |title=Sidebottom among six added to Hall of Fame |first=Ross|last=Lewis|work=[[The West Australian]]|date=4 March 2011}}</ref>

He died in March 2019 from cancer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Garry Sidebottom passes away aged 64 |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/former-saint-cat-and-lion-garry-sidebottom-passes-away-aged-64/news-story/c0d8d7a692d3bd3fed269647ff243e77 |access-date=29 March 2019 |work=www.news.com.au |date=29 March 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{AFL Tables}}
* {{AustralianFootball}}
* {{WAFL FootyFacts}}

{{Swan Districts Football Club Team of the Century}}
{{St Kilda Football Club captains}}
{{St Kilda leading goalkickers}}
{{1983 Western Australia State of Origin players}}
{{1984 Western Australia State of Origin players}}
{{1985 Western Australia State of Origin players}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidebottom, Garry}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Swan Districts Football Club players]]
[[Category:St Kilda Football Club players]]
[[Category:Geelong Football Club players]]
[[Category:Fitzroy Football Club players]]
[[Category:Western Australian State of Origin players]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Western Australia]]
[[Category:West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]