Essendon (1968–1972) A
full-forward, Blethyn had a slim frame and famously wore glasses on the field. He made his debut in April 1968 when he was selected on the half-forward flank in place of the injured
Alan Noonan. He kicked four goals in Essendon's
1968 Grand Final loss to
Carlton, and had his most prolific game up forward when he kicked 11 goals against
Footscray during the
1972 VFL season. 1972 was a record breaking-year for Blethyn—he finished it with 107 goals and became the first Essendon player since
John Coleman in
1950 to kick over 100 in a season. However, he missed out on the
Coleman Medal to
Collingwood's Peter McKenna, who kicked 130 goals for the season.
Claremont (1973–1975) From 1973 to 1975 Blethyn played for WAFL club Claremont.
Essendon (1976) Blethyn returned to Essendon in
1976, where he topped his team's goalkicking table with 39 goals. It was the third time Blethyn had finished a season as Essendon's top goalkicker, having previously done so in
1970 and 1972.
Port Adelaide (1977) Blethyn left Essendon for good in 1977 when he transferred to
SANFL club Port Adelaide. In that season, he played in the only
premiership side of his career. == After football ==