Peter Bell (Australian footballer, born 1976)

For information about the former St Kilda player named Peter Bell, see Peter R. Bell.
Peter Bell
Personal information
Full name Peter Francis Bell
Date of birth (1976-03-01) 1 March 1976
Place of birth South Korea
Original team(s) South Fremantle Football Club
Height 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 81 kg (179 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1995 Fremantle 002 00(2)
1996–2000 North Melbourne 123 (120)
2001–2008 Fremantle 161 (128)
Total 286 (250)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2008.
Career highlights

Club

Representative

Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Peter Francis Bell (born 1 March 1976) is a former Australian rules footballer for the Fremantle Football Club and the North Melbourne Football Club. He played as a rover (or follower). A former captain of the Fremantle Football Club, Bell was twice named as a member of the All-Australian Team. He was an acclaimed ball-winner and had more than 30 possessions in a game on 39 occasions in his career.

Early life

Bell was born in Cheju Island, South Korea, the son of a Korean mother, Kyung Ae, and an American father. In 1979 he was adopted by an Australian couple who were in South Korea as Christian missionaries. Bell spent his formative years in Kojonup, Western Australia. He was educated at Aquinas College, Perth[1] and the University of Western Australia, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws.[2]

AFL career

Fremantle (1995)

In late 1994, Bell, who was at that time playing with the South Fremantle Football Club in the West Australian Football League, became one of the first two players signed by the Fremantle Dockers, which made its debut in the Australian Football League the following year. He won the best and fairest award at South Fremantle in 1994.

Despite kicking two goals with his first two kicks in AFL football, Bell failed to make an impression on Dockers' coach Gerard Neesham, who regarded him as too slow a runner to be a successful AFL player. Bell was selected for only two games in 1995.

North Melbourne (1996–2000)

He was delisted at the end of that season, worked hard to improve his leg speed, and was picked up in the 1996 Pre-season draft, by North Melbourne, where he achieved regular selection and acclaim for his courageous, energetic and skilled performances under coach Denis Pagan. Bell was a premiership player with the Kangaroos in 1996 and 1999, and was named an All-Australian on the bench in 1999. He scored four goals and had 31 possessions in the 1999 Grand Final to be one of the Roos best on the day. In 2000, he won the North Melbourne best and fairest award, the Syd Barker Medal.

Fremantle (2001–2008)

Bell leading Fremantle from the ground in 2005

At the end of 2000, Fremantle sought his return and Bell was traded back to his original club. As it happened, 2001 was a disastrous season for the Dockers, culminating in the dismissal of coach Damian Drum. Bell won the Doig Medal for the Dockers' best and fairest player that year, and was one of the very few shining lights in a season where the Dockers recorded just two victories. These two wins were in part due to outstanding performances from Bell, who gathered thirty-eight possessions and two goals against Hawthorn in round 18, and forty-four disposals and three goals against Adelaide in round 22. The following year he was appointed captain and in 2003 the club made the finals for the first time. Bell was once again an All-Australian, this time as a follower.

He continued his good form into 2004, winning another Doig Medal. However, Fremantle's team performances were not as good, and in both 2004 and 2005 they narrowly missed making the finals. 2006 started poorly, but Bell was a leading player in Freo's record setting 9-game winning streak to finish in the top four for the first time, and also a member of the team that beat Melbourne in the second semi final to record Fremantle's first ever finals game win.

Despite offering to hand over the captaincy to Matthew Pavlich in 2003,[3] he remained captain for five seasons until the end of the 2006 season.

At Subiaco Oval, enthusiastic supporters rung a bell (a play on his name) whenever Bell got a possession. He was president of the AFL Players Association from 2003 until the beginning of 2007.

Bell (#32 at left)

Bell announced his immediate retirement on 7 July 2008,[4] having played his last game in the club's Round 14 loss to Essendon. He played 286 games with North Melbourne and Fremantle.

Playing statistics

Season Team No. Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
1995 Fremantle 32220549011.00.02.52.04.50.00.5
1996 North Melbourne 2623231118712831536211.00.58.15.613.71.60.9
1997 North Melbourne 2625241628118246369361.00.611.27.318.52.81.4
1998 North Melbourne 2625171432721554267430.70.613.18.621.72.71.7
1999 Kangaroos 2625322042719562296481.30.817.17.824.93.81.9
2000 Kangaroos 26252419387262649107751.00.815.510.526.04.33.0
2001 Fremantle 3219141031321452783520.70.516.511.327.74.42.7
2002 Fremantle 3222111030826457277470.50.514.012.026.03.52.1
2003 Fremantle 3223209354242596111720.90.415.410.525.94.83.1
2004 Fremantle 3221221227921549481561.00.613.310.223.53.92.7
2005 Fremantle 321812825117142291690.70.413.99.523.45.13.8
2006 Fremantle 32231412306236542116760.60.513.310.323.65.03.3
2007 Fremantle 32222812266218484102631.30.512.19.922.04.62.9
2008 Fremantle 32137412715728454410.50.39.812.121.84.23.2
Career 286 250 157 3818 2703 6521 1090 700 0.9 0.5 13.3 9.5 22.8 3.8 2.4

[5]

Post player career

In 2013, Bell joined radio broadcaster 6PR as host of the afternoon slot, alongside his match day special comments for AFL games on the station. In 2016, he moved to ABC Radio Perth to host the weekday breakfast program.[6] He also did some AFL coverage for the Seven Network.[7]

In September 2018, Bell was appointed general manager of the Fremantle Football Club, and resigned from his radio and television roles.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Crikey - Famous alumni on Latham's hit list Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ Wilson, Caroline (30 March 2003). "Bell tolls in Fremantle and beyond". The Sunday Age. p. 14.
  3. ↑ Wilson, Caroline (30 March 2003). "Bell calls for new captain". The Age. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  4. ↑ Pike, Chris (7 July 2008). "Bell calls an end to a glittering career". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  5. ↑ "Peter Bell". AFL Tables. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Breakfast with Peter Bell and Paula Kruger". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  7. 1 2 Annabel Stewart (25 September 2018). "Peter Bell takes up Fremantle Dockers football role in AFL, exits ABC Radio Perth". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
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