At the end of a player’s AFL career, one measure of greatness is on-field achievements – Premiership medals, Brownlow medals, Norm Smith medals, Coleman medals, best and fairest medals and All Australian selection. But there are other measures of greatness that only a club or teammates can attest to. By these standards Paul Barnard retires as a great of this club.
A selfless team man and outstanding clubman, Barnard would do anything for the Essendon Football Club. He has tasted his fair share of on-field successes including a day and night premiership in 2000, but it is Barnard’s hard-nosed attitude and willingness to do anything for the team that has him highly regarded at Windy Hill.
Barnard started his career at Hawthorn in 1993. After playing the opening three games in his first season, he did not taste senior action for another year and a half. At the completion of two seasons with Hawthorn he had played 11 games and was given his marching orders. He found himself at Windy Hill in the trade that saw Paul Salmon go to Hawthorn, Darren Jarman to Adelaide and Sean Wellman to Essendon – a trade most celebrated in recent times.
""I was 22 when I came to Essendon and I had to make every post a winner. I had to dedicate myself and it has gone pretty quickly. Eight years has been super quick. It is funny how the wheel turns, because I came to Essendon and Paul Salmon went to Hawthorn and then last year he returned to Windy Hill and we played together.”
Over his 140 games at Essendon, Barnard never really settled in a set position. He played forward, back and through the mid-field on the odd occasion, but his aggression at the ball and the opposition was always a valuable asset wherever he lined up. Former teammate and now assistant coach Mark Harvey said that Barnard always provided a strong physical presence out on the ground.
""Barney is a player that you would always ask to do a job, whether it be physically or otherwise. Those players are becoming few and far between. Paul was always a guy that would look after his teammates if something happened. On top of that, he really developed himself into a really good leading forward,” Harvey said.
""Paul really brought it upon himself to replace Dean Wallis when Dean retired. He became the physical mentor of the side and really looked after the team. He always had it, but I think when Dean retired, he took that role on more.”
Barnard will be remembered most for the impact he had in the 2000 grand final. His four goals off the bench played a big part in the memorable victory. “The 2000 Grand Final is definitely the highlight of my career. I think in the next few years I will start to realise the heights we did climb in those few years,” Barnard said.
Harvey said the 2000 Grand Final was memorable in many ways, but to see Barnard kick four goals was a real highlight. ""When you do all the unsung things, it was good to see him get the rewards on Grand Final day. It will be something that will be held dear to his heart - the fact that he has played in a Grand Final and he played sensationally. He kicked four goals in a Grand Final and not many players can do that in a Grand Final,"" Harvey said.
To read the remainder of the Barnard article, look out for the Essendon Football Club 2003 Year Book. The Year Book is due to hit the shelves in late November and is a must read for all Essendon supporters. The Year Book looks at the season that was, catches up with all the award winners from Crichton Medal night and also pays tribute to dual Crichton Medal winners James Hird and Scott Lucas. The Year Book is chock-full of information about your favourite club and players.
