Gary Pert

Gary Pert (born 28 May 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Australian Football League (AFL). Tall, well-built and strong in the air, Pert played over 200 league games, despite suffering two serious knee injuries in the prime years of his career. Early in one season, Pert suffered a bizarre injury when he went to his girlfriend's house for dinner and got a biscuit stuck in his oesophagus. The blockage remained overnight and so the following day he underwent an oesophagoscopy under general anaesthetic. He recovered in time for the Round 5 game against . He returned in 1989, winning Fitzroy's best and fairest. Fitzroy career The son of Brian Pert, a former Fitzroy utility player, Pert was educated at Templestowe High School. Besides representing Bulleen in junior football, Pert also played for the Victorian Football League (VFL) schoolboys team in Ireland in 1981. He was recruited to , as Bulleen was in Fitzroy's recruiting zone, and made his senior debut in Round 4 of the 1982 season at only 16 years of age. Also making his debut was Paul Roos, with whom Pert formed a great partnership for Fitzroy through the 1980s. He played State of Origin for Victoria in 1984 at the age of just 18, and was a champion full-back for the Lions (who could be switched to the forward line). In 1985 he won All-Australian selection.