Eddie Betts

Edward Robert Betts III was born on born 26 November 1986 in Port Lincoln, South Australia, and raised by his mother, Cindy, He is of Wirangu, Kokatha (both of the far west coast of SA) and Guburn people (of the Western Australian Goldfields region), and describes himself as having been a shy child. He grew up surrounded by a large extended family, on both his mother's and father's side, in which everyone was very caring and loving. before moving back to Port Lincoln, where his father lived, to play for the Mallee Park Peckers. and TAC Cup football for the Calder Cannons. He represented Vic Metro as a 16-year-old in the 2003 AFL Under 18 Championships and was selected in the Under 18 All-Australian team that season. He was too young to be selected in the AFL draft at the end of 2003, and he played another season with the Cannons, but was hindered by osteitis pubis. He was overlooked in the 2004 National Draft as a result. ==Professional football career==

Carlton: 2005–2013 After being overlooked in the National Draft, Betts was recruited to the AFL with pick 3 in the 2004 Pre-Season Draft by the Carlton Football Club. He attracted attention as a lively small forward during the 2005 pre-season, and made his AFL debut in round 1 against the . He kicked 19 goals in 19 games in 2006, playing as a permanent small forward and becoming a fan favourite. Throughout his first four seasons, Betts had a consistent output of roughly a goal per game. From 2009, Betts' goalkicking output increased, kicking 38 goals in 2009, then 42 in 2010 to top Carlton's goal kicking for the first time, while also making the top 10 in the club best and fairest. but rebounded to kick 50 goals for the season, Betts kicked 48 goals in 2012, In that year he led the club's goalkicking, was runner-up in the club best and fairest count and was named in the 40 man All-Australian shortlist for the second year in a row. Betts kicked 27 goals in 18 games in a 2013 season interrupted by a suspension and a fractured jaw, including five goals in Carlton's two finals. At the end of the season, Betts entered the market as a restricted free agent, and in October he notified Carlton he had accepted a four-year contract understood to be worth about $2 million (AUS) to join the Adelaide Crows. Carlton had 72 hours to match the Crows offer but declined to do so, allowing the confirmation of Betts' switch to occur on 4 October, the first day of the free agency period. On 26 May 2015, the AFL launched an inquiry into Betts' signing with Adelaide after the outgoing Carlton coach, Mick Malthouse, claimed to have been told by the current Carlton and former Adelaide CEO Steven Trigg that Adelaide had illegally signed Betts 18 months prior to him departing Carlton. Adelaide categorically denied the claim, as did Carlton and Betts' manager. Betts and all other parties were subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing in the affair. Following on from this controversy, Betts improved on his stellar 2014 season by kicking 63 goals in 2015, finishing third in the Coleman Medal, and finally achieving All-Australian honours. In a Showdown in round 3, 2017, Betts was racially abused by a club member. The offender was evicted from the ground and had his membership suspended indefinitely. In the Crows' next match, Betts was given the honour of tossing the coin before the match along with player Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti before kicking 6 goals, taking the lead in the Coleman Medal in the Crows' 65-point win. This included 5 first-half goals, and he and McDonald-Tipungwuti kicked 10 goals between them for the match. In round 7, he kicked his 500th career goal against in the second quarter, before being flattened by defender Scott Thompson and immediately getting a set shot to kick his second goal in a row. Overall he got three goals for the match in spite of the Crows losing by 59 points. Betts had another good performance in 2017's Sir Douglas Nicholls Indigenous Round, kicking three goals in the Crows' 100-point win over . In August 2017, Betts was admitted to hospital with appendicitis and missed Adelaide's round 19 draw against Collingwood but returned the following week for the Showdown and kicked 4 goals, pushing up to second place on the overall Showdown leading goal-kickers list, only behind captain Taylor Walker. Betts was a part of Adelaide's losing Grand Final team that year, kicking one goal in the match. In 2018, Betts kicked only 29 goals for the year, making it his worst return in 5 years at the Crows. Also in 2018, Betts missed four matches due to hamstring injuries, having missed only one match in his previous four seasons at Adelaide. On Round 5 of the 2019 season, he played in his 300th AFL game, against the Gold Coast Suns. In front of a roaring crowd and with 6 minutes left in what turned out to be an easy win, he scored a classic left-footed banana that won him an unparalleled 4th AFL Goal of the Year award. Return to Carlton: 2020–2021 At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Betts was traded back to Carlton. On 19 November 2019, Betts was given his previous jumper number at Carlton, no. 19, once again. On 16 August 2021, Betts announced via Instagram he would be playing his 350th and final AFL match against on 21 August 2021. Betts was chaired off the ground following the match. == Coaching career ==

After his retirement, Betts began his job as a developmental coach at Geelong in October 2021, also bringing in former Adelaide teammate and delisted player Tyson Stengle and turned him into a member of the 2022 All-Australian roster. He resigned from the role in November 2022. ==Other activities==

Teaching While playing for Carlton, Betts worked as a teacher's aide at Assumption College in Kilmore, Victoria. During this time he also studied sport recreation, intending to become a primary school teacher. The foundation, a registered charity, runs a football academy and basketball program, as well as education, community, and mentoring programs. Publications Children's books & TV series When Betts entered the AFL at 17 years of age, he had the reading and writing ability of a six- to seven-year-old, and knows the challenges and disadvantage this can cause young people, leading him to create a series of educational books for children. His ''Lil' Homies'' book series aim to help kids read with confidence and enjoyment and give them the chance to express their own personality into the story. My People (2019), Betts' second book for children, is about sharing and educating kids on Aboriginal culture and Australia's First Nations peoples. Betts is often asked to visit schools to share his knowledge and experience. The ''Lil' Homies'' series has been adapted for television, with a ten-part series released on NITV and Netflix (the first co-commission between the two) in early 2024. The series stars Hunter Page-Lochard as Eddie, Miah Madden as Lottie, Andrew Dang as Tal, and Billy Betts (Eddie Betts' eight-year-old son) as Junior. Others Betts' memoir, The Boy from Boomerang Crescent, was published in August 2022. Part of Betts' motivation for writing it was to help educate non-Indigenous Australians "how we live as Aboriginal people, within the communities. What we face in our life," and the challenges faced by Aboriginal children. It won the Social Impact Book of the Year at the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards. ==Recognition, impact, and in arts and media==

In 2014, Betts' first year at , he converted a series of difficult shots at goal from the right forward pocket at the northern end of Adelaide Oval. Then-coach Brenton Sanderson dubbed that area of the ground "Eddie's Pocket", and the name has caught on with fans and commentators. Betts' 2015, 2016, and 2019 goal-of-the-year-winning goals were from the opposite pocket, the left forward pocket at the same end. Betts features in the 2021 fly-on-the-wall documentary TV series Making Their Mark, which showed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on several AFL clubs, players, and staff. In September 2021 Australian musician Paul Kelly released a song inspired by Betts and his battle with racism, titled Every Step of the Way. ==Personal life==

Betts married his long-term partner, Anna Scullie, in a surprise wedding in August 2015, after several years' engagement. They have five children, three boys and twin daughters. Betts has a lot of pride in his Aboriginal heritage and culture. He cites his favourite moment was the goal that he kicked in the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round while wearing a jersey designed by his Aunt Susie Betts, which became his third Goal of the Year. and the incident still haunts him, and taints his enjoyment of the fruit. After watching the 2019 film The Australian Dream about the abuse suffered by fellow AFL footballer Adam Goodes when he played for the Sydney Swans, he and many other Indigenous became aware of the extent of the problem for the first time. He felt a responsibility as a leader for taking a stand, and to continue to call out racism whenever it occurred. ==Football honours and achievements==

Team • NAB Cup (Carlton) 2007 • McClelland Trophy (Adelaide) 2017 Individual • 3× All-Australian: (2015, 2016, 2017) • 4× Adelaide leading Goalkicker: (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) • 2× Carlton leading Goalkicker: (2010, 2012) • 4× AFL Goal of the Year: (2006, 2015, 2016, 2019) • Carlton Best First-Year player: (2005) ==Statistics==

: Statistics are calculated to end of the 2021 season ==Notes==