Martin Pike (born in Glenelg, South Australia on 14 November 1972) is a former Australian Football League player who played with four clubs during 13 seasons. Highlights of his career included a premiership with the Kangaroos, three more with Brisbane, a best-and-fairest win with Fitzroy, and selection in the 1998 South Australian state-of-origin side. The historic Glenelg Town Hall in Moseley Square. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Australian Football League is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football. ... The North Melbourne Football Club, trading as the Kangaroos, and informally known as the Shinboners or the Kangaroos Football Club plays Australian rules football in the Australian Football League. ... The Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) are an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane, Queensland. ... The Fitzroy Football Club, latterly known as the Lions, was formed in 1883 and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Early career

The Melbourne Football Club picked Pike with their first choice (ninth overall) in the 1992 national draft. He played 8 games at centre half-back in his first year in 1993. However, an injury in the earlier part of the season persuaded coach Neil Balme to move him to the forward line. Pike played in three finals in 1994. The Melbourne Football Club (MFC), nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Melbourne, Victoria. ... In Australian rules football, the centre half-back refers to a position in the half-back line of a football field. ... Neil Allen Balme (born January 15, 1952 in Perth, Western Australia) is a former Australian Rules Football player who played in the VFL between 1970 and ? for the Richmond Football Club. ...

Despite his strong on-field performance, Melbourne traded Pike to the Fitzroy Football Club at the end of 1994 due to his off-field problems with alcohol. After playing 14 games in 1995, Pike played all 22 games in 1996 winning the club's best-and-fairest award, beating later Port Adelaide captain Mathew Primus for the honour. However, ongoing financial difficulties led to Fitzroy merging with the then Brisbane Bears to form the Brisbane Lions. Pike was not selected as one of the eight Fitzroy players to move north to Brisbane at the end of 1996, largely due to his poor off-field reputation. The Fitzroy Football Club, latterly known as the Lions, was formed in 1883 and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897. ... The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Power, is an Australian Rules Football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. ... The Brisbane Bears Football Club was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League. ...

North Melbourne 1997-2000

Now a free agent, Pike was recruited to join the 1996 premiers, North Melbourne in the 1996 draft. He had a solid year in 1997 as North finished third. South Australia picked him their 1998 State of Origin squad in the following year. Pike was a member of the North Melbourne grand final team that lost to the Adelaide Football Club in the 1998 Grand Final after winning the minor premiership. Adelaide Crows logo The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Adelaide, South Australia. ...

Martin Pike was a member of the Kangaroos' premiership winning team in 1999, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. However, he had a poor year in 2000 and North Melbourne de-listed him, in part due to a late arrival at a club function.

Brisbane Lions 2001-2005

The Brisbane Lions recruited Pike in the 2000 draft after impressing coach Leigh Matthews in an interview, although Pike's reputation was poor enough for Matthews to consult his leading players before committing to the wayward footballer. Pike quickly proved himself at his fourth club, playing 22 games as the club won its first premiership in 2001. Now with family commitments, Pike was a reformed character, with increased professionalism and none of the poor off-field behaviour that had marred his career at his previous clubs. Leigh R. Matthews (born March 1, 1952) is widely regarded as one of the greatest Australian Rules footballers of all time, playing for Hawthorn in the VFL from 1969 to 1985. ...

The Brisbane Lions won their second successive premiership in 2002, with Pike playing a wide variety of roles. He again played a key role in many of the games won in 2003, including kicking three goals in the final quarter of the preliminary final against the Sydney Swans to get the team into its third successive winning grand final. The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales; formerly it was the South Melbourne Football Club. ...

The Lions reached their fourth successive grand final in 2004, but with injuries to a few key players, lost to Port Adelaide in the grand final. Pike was disappointed with his performance in that match, and was reportedly involved in an altercation with a club official in the early hours of the morning on return to Brisbane, the first and only display of the behaviour which caused him problems before signing with the Lions. Despite resulting speculation that his contract would not be renewed he accepted a one-year contract for 2005. However Pike's season was heavily disrupted by injury and he was unable to add more than a handful of games to his career tally before announcing his retirement on 2 August 2005 with four matches remaining in the regular season. Brisbane () is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After retirement

In February 2006, the Hastings Football Club in the rural Victorian Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League announced that Pike had accepted an offer to coach the club for the upcoming season. He made an appearance in the 2006 AFL Legends Match. The EJ Whitten Legends Match is a 10 year old annual Australian Rules Football event where VFL and AFL stars of yesteryear are reunited in this State of Origin clash between Victoria and the All Stars. ...

External references

• Brisbane Lions Martin Pike profile
• AFL article on Pike's preparation for 2005 season
• Pike announces his retirement
• Martin Pike's career statistics