MOORCROFT, Gary

Gary Moorcroft was a small but tough and nuggety player who came to Essendon from the Northern Knights. He won the Morrish Medal as the best player in the TAC Under 18s in 1994.

He debuted against St Kilda at Optus Oval in 1995 but struggled to maintain a place in the senior side and was placed on the rookie list and played no senior games in 1996. He finished third in the Reserves Best and Fairest that year.

He was elevated to the senior list in 1997 when David Grenvold retired. Coincidentally his second game for Essendon was also against St Kilda.

Moorcroft was a consistent performer from 1997 to 2000. His high-marking, despite his lack of height, was one of his main attributes and made him a difficult man to match up. He finished tenth in Essendon's Best and Fairest in 1999 and played in the 2000 premiership team.

His form became more inconsistent in 2001 and he was often used off the bench. He was a member of the 2001 losing Grand Final team.

Moorcroft might be best remembered for taking one of the most spectacular marks of all time. His soaring leap in the goal square against the Western Bulldogs won him the Mark of the Year in 2001. His five first-half goals in that game helped to seal Essendon's victory.

His form fell away and he was delisted at the end of the 2002 season. Moorcroft was drafted by Melbourne in 2003 but only managed to play three games. It was later discovered that he had cracked his hip when he landed after taking his famous mark, effecting his ability to play.

He spent the 2004 season with the Bendigo Bombers after being delisted by Melbourne, then joined Sylvan in the Yarra Valley Mountain Football League. He won two premierships, four best and fairest awards and twice kicked more than 100 goals with Sylvan.

He moved to Romsey in the Riddell District Football League in 2009, then joined Bundoora in the Northern Football League in 2011. He won premierships there in 2011 and 2013 then kicked the winning goal in 2017. He played for two more years before announcing his retirement from all forms of football at the end of the 2019 season.

Moorcroft's retirement was short-lived as he joined South Morang in the Northen Football League for the 2023 season to play alongside his son, Beau.