Jimmy Bartel Biography

Jimmy Bartel is inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

“I used to ride my bike to watch my sisters play netball and I got asked to fill in for a game one day at the local footy ground (Bell Park) where my sisters would play. I started fulltime the next year after the coach spent most of the season chasing mum asking me to play again," Bartel said.

“It all started from there, when I was 11, which was older than most other kids when they start, but playing so much sport as a kid built the greatest bonding experience with my mum over those years through my teens.

“Any kid who comes from regional Australia knows that you spend a lot of hours in the car and for me it was with mum.

“To get the call about the Hall of Fame is a huge honour and I immediately told (partner) Amelia and then wanted to share it with mum and (sisters) Olivia and Emma, because it’s their news too for everything they did for me.”

Jimmy Bartel is appointed football director GWS ahead of 2019.

Jimmy Bartel says he would entertain the conversation – however unlikely – if a club asked him to come out of retirement.

"I'm a footballer first and competitive by nature and that's probably been the toughest thing for me this year … trying to find something to get that competitive itch scratched," he said.

"I think you have to have the conversation, don't you? If you're a footballer for 15 years, I think you do. That doesn't mean you're going to say 'Yes', but what's the harm in talking to people?"

Jimmy Bartel and former Michael Jamison have joined the AFL's Match Review Panel for the remainder of this season.

Chris Knights has stepped away from his position on the MRP due to work commitments, meaning the panel has effectively grown by one member due to the new appointments.

Geelong's first selection at the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, Brandan Parfitt, was in shock when told he would wear the Cats No.3 jumper made famous by recently retired Jimmy Bartel.

"It was definitely one of those pinch-yourself moments," Parfitt said.

"He is obviously a legend of the game and I'll definitely be wearing the number with pride."

Jimmy Bartel says it will be hard to watch the Cats next year knowing he had a valuable contribution to make, but he is not bitter about the club's decision to part with him.

"I was never going to be the player I was 10 years ago, but I thought the player I was the last couple of years was something of value," Bartel told SEN.

"I've got to weigh up if that's just the competitor in me and sometimes you can get a little close to it.

"I thought maybe in a reduced capacity I could have offered something, but that's OK … I'm not bitter, I'm not upset or anything like that.

"I completely respect everything the club's done and the decision they've gone with."

Jimmy Bartel calls time on his glittering career.

Despite triggering a clause in his contract to give himself the option of playing on next season, Bartel said the decision to hang up the boots was not made lightly.

"I wanted to take my time once the season finished before I made this decision,” Bartel said.

"While I feel I still have more to give, I understand the bigger picture and respect the direction the club wants to move in. So therefore I have decided the time is now right to retire from the game.

"Over the past 15 years I have played out every dream I ever had and I leave the game satisfied that I have given everything I had in every game.

"To have played with my hometown club and to have shared in the success we have had has been an incredible experience."

Jimmy Bartel says he will make a decision on his future in the next few weeks after meeting with Cats coach Chris Scott.

"It seems a long way away at the moment. I've got to catch up with the coaches and have a good chat about footy," Bartel said.

"It's (retirement) always a thought, once you get to my stage of my career but I haven't formed an opinion or made a decision. I'm just waiting to have a chat with Chris Scott and the guys."

Geelong star and domestic violence campaigner Jimmy Bartel is one of four players named as finalists for the 2016 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.

Gold Coast veteran Jarrod Harbrow, Port Adelaide defender Jack Hombsch and Melbourne backman Neville Jetta have also been selected after being nominated by their respective clubs.

Geelong coach Chris Scott believes Jimmy Bartel will play on next year and says speculation around the 2007 Brownlow medallist's future is overblown.

"My suspicion at the moment is that he will," Scott said.

"There has been a little bit of talk that seems to be slanted towards the negative, and I'm struggling to understand that.

"The ball is squarely in his court."

Jimmy Bartel says he won't stay on in 2017 if it means only acting as a playing mentor for the club's VFL side.

Fresh from playing his 300th game on the weekend, it emerged Bartel could be forced to play some VFL matches in 2017 if he took on a clause to continue his career.

However Bartel says any idea of spending the majority of the season in the second-tier doesn't sit comfortably.

"You don't go into a year planning on playing VFL football," Bartel said.

"So obviously the idea would never sit comfortably for you. You're there to play AFL football and you're there to play well."

Jimmy Bartel provided the perfect ending to a big night for Geelong when he wheeled onto his left foot and slotted the last goal of a hard-fought win over the Western Bulldogs in his 300th game.

Bartel was mobbed by every single one of his teammates after his goal with five seconds left put the cherry on top of a momentous evening at Simonds Stadium that also saw Corey Enright overtake Ian Nankervis to become the club's all-time games record holder.

"The only problem was that I kicked it in front of our construction site so there was no one there," Bartel said with a wry smile after the match.

"But I burnt the leading full-forward and luckily it went through. All of my teammates got around me, which was a pretty special experience.

"I didn't move too far from the forward 50 for the last minute or two ... I might get in a bit of trouble for that on Monday."

Jimmy Bartel says a safer alternative to the synthetic turf surrounding AFL grounds needs to be found quickly.

Bartel had watched teammate Daniel Menzel injure his ankle after sliding across the artificial surface and crashing into the fence when the Cats defeated North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

Having just returned from four knee reconstructions, Menzel was upset after the game and spoke to the AFL Players' Association and the League itself about the issue.

The AFLPA said it had contacted players from all clubs since the Menzel injury.

They had expressed concerns over the proximity of the synthetic turf to the playing surface, which made it more difficult to slow down and/or change direction.

"The players also feel that the synthetic turf is harder and more abrasive than natural turf, leading to more painful injuries when landing or sliding," the statement said.

"We have raised these concerns with the AFL and requested that this matter be reviewed in a timely manner, with a view to finding a better solution."

Bartel told SEN that players were of the view that they should not just accept the risk.

"I think we can find a better alternative that has a little bit more give in it than that style of AstroTurf. It is like concrete," he said.

"We are of the opinion that you shouldn't just accept it as it is."

Jimmy Bartel has signed a one-year contract extension with Geelong which could see him become just the fourth Cat to reach the 300-game AFL milestone.

“Jimmy played good consistent football this year and we expect more of the same in 2016,” Cats’ general manager of football Steve Hocking said.

“He bounced back from injury well and can play a multitude of roles for us. He has shown that adaptability over the years and continues to do so.”

Jimmy Bartel says people should embrace the game's imperfections rather than obsessing about creating the perfect game.

Amid a growing chorus of voices calling for radical changes to be made to the rules to minimise stoppages and limit congestion around the ball, Bartel preached caution.

He suggested it bordered on arrogance for anyone to think they had an answer on how to make the game perfect.

"[I] think people are a bit full of themselves if they think they can create the rule that changes the whole game," Bartel said.

"There is this obsession with the perfect game, and the great thing about our game is that it is not perfect - and I think people just need to accept that."

Jimmy Bartel will spend the next two days in hospital after being diagnosed with an infection in his left knee.

"Jimmy has had the knee washed out and he will spend a few days in hospital receiving antibiotics," Geelong football manager Steve Hocking said.

"His return will be slightly delayed but we are pleased with how the injury itself is healing and if not for the infection Jimmy would have been on schedule to return."

The AFL has denied any involvement in forcing Geelong's Jimmy Bartel to sit out a week after the veteran sustained a well-publicised concussion earlier this season.

"We (the AFL) didn't get involved in the decision-making for Bartel. You have got to applaud them (Geelong), it highlights their focus on player welfare is good," AFL medical director Peter Harcourt told News Limited.

"We don't actively get involved in return-to-play decisions with difficult concussion cases."

Jimmy Bartel will miss at least two months after tearing the medial ligament in his left knee and will undergo surgery to repair the injury.

James Bartel will undergo scans to determine the extent of a suspected medial ligament injury in his left knee.

Bartel hurt is knee when Suns midfielder Michael Rischitelli slid low to win a contested ball and his knee bent under pressure.

Delisted Geelong youngster George Burbury believes his apprenticeship under Brownlow medallist Jimmy Bartel will hold him in good stead if he gets another chance in the AFL.

"It's a disappointing result – it's every AFL player's worst nightmare – but the reality is I was informed a couple of weeks ago by someone that since debuting I've played seven of a possible 43 games due to injury," Burbury said.

"When you look at it from the club's perspective they're not maximising their opportunity by having me on the list the last couple of years.

"They haven't really got as much out of me as they thought they might, and it's the industry we're in – it's pretty cutthroat."

Jimmy Bartel insists he did not dive for a free kick in Geelong's round 22 loss to Hawthorn.

The contentious free kick was awarded to Bartel for a push against Matthew Suckling in the second quarter, Bartel went on to kick a goal.

Several commentators criticised Bartel after the incident, with Magpies premiership captain Tony Shaw saying he should be given a reprimand for staging, while ex-teammate Cameron Ling called it 'very un-Jimmy'.

However, the Brownlow medalist has hit back at the "witch-hunt", saying his integrity has been unfairly questioned.

"If you're running flat out for the ball and as you're jumping you've got someone who puts any sort of contact behind you you're going to go forward," Bartel said.

"I just put my hands down actually to brace myself for a fall, probably in hindsight I shouldn't do that, I should just fall on my back or something like that.

"I can see it looks bad ... but I can only tell you how I was feeling at the moment."

On the eve of his 250th game, Jimmy Bartel acknowledges his seniority amongst the Cats' playing group.

"It makes me feel old," Bartel said.

"I probably started playing footy when some of these guys were in grade three or four. I probably did footy clinics for a few of them here and there.

"If anything, I hope the milestone provides some acknowledgement for all the people who have helped me along the way. I hope they get the reward out of it, rather than myself."

Jimmy Bartel will play in his 250th game in the Cats' 2014 season opener against Adelaide and says he will be spending more time up forward this year.

"I know it's going to be hard and a new challenge, but I'm excited by it," Bartel said.

"We've got to help out big Hawk [Tom Hawkins] as much as we can. We can't rely on him to kick us a winning score the whole time."

Two days after joining the board of the AFL Players' Association, Jimmy Bartel steps down from Geelong's leadership ground, relinquishing the vice-captaincy.

"Jimmy should be commended," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"Although he is no longer a leader in an official capacity, he will continue to be seen as one around the club."

Jimmy Bartel says the Cats will remain hard at the ball despite him being one of three players to be suspended this year.

"We're not going to ease up because it's very hard to play football not going 100 per cent with your intensity, your attack on the football and the man," Bartel said.

"If you look each incident in isolation you wouldn't say a lot of them were ill-discipline acts or dirty acts, most of them were attack on the footy or the man and that's the way it should be, in a hard and aggressive manner."

Cats coach Chris Scott expresses disappointment after James Podsiadly becomes the latest Cat to cop a suspension this year along with Jimmy Bartel and Steve Johnson.

"We accept that the game is sometimes a line-ball thing when it comes to these incidents," Scott said.

"But to stand up here and say, 'They've been really line-ball and it's not as if we've got a huge problem, they're all one- or maximum two-week things,' kind of misses the point a little bit.

"We've put ourselves in a position now where we need to be extremely careful. Now Pods has hurt the team by not being available this week.

"So collectively – the players, coaches and administrators within the Geelong Football Club – we need to work harder to address these things."

Jimmy Bartel is ruled out of Brownlow Medal contention after accepting a one-match ban for a high bump on Adelaide's Rory Sloane.

Geelong hopes to have star midfielder Jimmy Bartel back in its main training group in the lead-up to the Christmas break.

"Jimmy had a small fracture in his foot," Cats skipper Joel Selwood said.

"He hasn't done a lot over the break; he was in a boot for a number of weeks. Before Christmas I'm sure you'll see him out there."

Geelong star Jimmy Bartel is set to spend less time in the midfield as the Cats nurture a new generation of onballers.

"He got thrown around the ground a bit, but looking at his numbers he was still a great contested ball-winner for us," Geelong assistant coach James Rahilly said of Bartel's 2012 season.

"Sometimes we wish we had three of Jimmy - one in the midfield, one up forward and one down back."

Jimmy Bartel hails Tom Hawkins' emergence as one of the AFL's dominant key forwards after Hawkins notches 22 disposals, 12 marks and 3 goals in a win against the Hawks in their thrilling Easter Monday clash.

"He's playing the game strong and he's playing it like a man," Bartel said.

"I think Tom's just maturing and he's certainly got a lot of confidence in his game at the moment. I've always been a big supporter of Tom and I think the criticism was pretty harsh early days."

Joel Selwood is named captain of Geelong for 2012 with Jimmy Bartel to serve as vice-captain.

"It's a great feeling. This is the football club that I loved as a kid. I grew up barracking for the football club," Selwood said.

"It's over 150 years old, it's a proud football club, and it's in a really good position at the moment and I want to continue to make it that way."

Geelong midfielder Jimmy Bartel has been awarded the 2011 Norm Smith Medal after being judged best on ground in the Cats' premiership win over Collingwood.

"It is different to the Brownlow Medal, but totally, with no disrespect [to the Norm Smith Medal] I'm happy with the other one, the premiership medal," Bartel said.

"We have a pretty fierce group at the club and we play to win premierships, so this is nice icing on the cake."

Brownlow Medallist likely to see out his career at Geelong after committing to the club for four more years.

"I'm absolutely pumped to be staying at Geelong for my whole career," he said.

"It's really special. I don't think many people get a chance to do that in their football career. I'm very excited."

Geelong Brownlow medalist Jimmy Bartel has been sidelined by a bout of tonsillitis.

"I think you try and get over these things for a while because you get sick then it goes away and then you get sick again," Geelong assistant coach Blake Caracella said.

"Jimmy's decided now that enough's enough, so he's getting it done. He'll get to play another game in round four of the NAB Cup and he'll be right for round one."

Geelong coach Chris Scott is preparing himself for the possibility that the Cats could lose Jimmy Bartel to the Greater Western Sydney Giants in 2011.

"If GWS offer Jimmy the same money that Gold Coast offered Gary then it's going to be a really hard decision for him," Scott said.

"As we've said with Gary in the past, 'We can completely understand his reasons for going'."

Cameron Ling will lead Geelong's premiership defence as captain this season, with an expanded leadership group behind him.

"It's got a bit of romanticism to it - Cameron supported the Cats when he was a kid, played for St Josephs, played for the Falcons, played for our VFL team, played for our AFL team, became an All-Australian, has finished in the top-four seven times in our best-and-fairest and is a dual premiership player both in the pre-season comp and the home-and-away season," Cats chief executive Brian Cook said.

"It speaks volumes for him - not only does he meet his commitments on the field and off the field, but he displays great values."

Cameron Ling will head Geelong's leadership group that includes Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey, Corey Enright, Joel Selwood, James Kelly and Harry Taylor. Kelly and Taylor are new additions to the group for 2010.

Jimmy Bartel's jumper worn during the 2009 AFL premiership win over St Kilda is missing and believed to have been stolen.

"Often players wear two in a game but that was the only jumper I wore for the day," Bartel said.

"I just want to let people know that if someone is out there trying to sell them my jumper, that it was stolen and they should report it to the club."

Jimmy Bartel kicks the winning point after the siren to sink the Hawks after the Cats had trailed by as many as 28 points in the final quarter.

"I was pretty lucky, actually, to get on the end of it," Bartel said.

"Probably most people didn't see Matty Stokes put an amazing block on for me, and Joel Corey probably stepped around about three blokes to get it away, so I was just on the end of those two doing a good job."

Geelong's attempt to have Jimmy Bartel's reprimand for tripping fails with Tribunal finding him guilty.

"My expectation was that he was going to have a snap at goal and I was trying to smother the ball," Bartel said.

"He stepped around me, went past, I tried to stop my momentum going forward, he went past and there was an accidental clash of legs."

Geelong midfielder Jimmy Bartel will face the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday to contest his reprimand for tripping.

Geelong star Jimmy Bartel will be forced to play the rest of the season with virtually a one-match ban hanging over his head after being found guilty of a tripping charge against Shaun Higgins at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night after an appeal against the charge was unsuccessful.

Geelong Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel has come under fire for comments about the Kokoda Track on The Footy Show last night.

Bartel first described it as "one of the best experiences I've ever done", before making reference to the deaths of two Australians on the track over the past week.

"It's a bit unfortunate what's been happening there lately. A couple of people have dropped it," he continued before apparently giggling.