Jimmy Freake was a 174-game Fitzroy player from 1912-24. All of 178cm tall and weighing just 63kg, he defied his physical limitations to rank among the game’s very best full forwards in his era.
As legend has it, he relied primarily on his pace and skill, and his blindingly quick acceleration on the lead. He would crouch low, with his chest almost scraping the turf, before hurtling straight down the ground, leaving his opponent in his wake. Teammates knew if they kept their pass low and fast their spearhead’s small but vice-like hands, coupled with his great manoeuvrability, would do the rest. And he was a very accurate shot for goal, both with the traditional punt kick and the now defunct place kick.
A Fitzroy premiership player in 1913 and 1922, he won the club B&F in 1918, was the club’s leading goal-kicker no less than seven times, and was the leading goal-kicker in the competition in 1913 and 1915.
His career tally of 442 goals was a club record at the time of his retirement and ranks fourth all-time among Fitzroy players behind only Jack Moriarty, Bernie Quinlan and Garry Wilson. He was the first Fitzroy player to kick 10 goals in a match, and was the club’s leading goal-kicker all-time in finals. He also coached Fitzroy in 1929.
A freak by name and a freak by nature. Jimmy Freake, a member of the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame.
At a glance:
Club/s
Fitzroy
Years
1912-1924 (Player) - 174 games
1929 (Coach) - 8 games
Goals: 442
Honours/Awards
- Fitzroy Best & Fairest (1918)
- Fitzroy Premiership Player (1913, 1922)
- VFL leading goal-kicker (1915)
- Fitzroy leading goal-kicker (1912-15, 1917-18, 1923)
- Lions Life Member
- Fitzroy Vice-Captain (1923)
- Victorian Representative (twice)
- Past Players Assoc. Hall of Fame
