Ronnie Burns (footballer)

Ronnie Burns
Personal information
Full name	Ronald Paul Burns
Date of birth	(1973-03-13) 13 March 1973 (age 51)
Original team(s)	St Mary's
Draft	49th overall, 1995 Geelong
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)[1]
Position(s)	Forward
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1996–2002	Geelong	134 (239)
2003–2004	Adelaide	020 0(23)
Total		154 (262)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2004.
Career highlights
5× Geelong leading goalkicker: 1997–2001 West Perth Football Club premiership side 1995
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Ronald Paul Burns (born 13 March 1973) is a former Indigenous Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club and Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League (AFL).^[1]

Biography

Burns is the nephew of former footballers Tony and Benny Vigona.^[2] He was raised at Pirlangimpi on the Tiwi Islands.^[3] He was educated at St John's College, Darwin.

Playing career

Originally from St Mary's Football Club of the Northern Territory Football League, Burns moved to Western Australia and played colts football for Claremont Football Club before moving back to Darwin. He was lured back to Perth by the West Perth Football Club before being drafted to the Geelong Cats in the AFL.^[1][4] Burns led the Cats in goalkicking five times, playing as a small crumbing forward during a less-decorated time for the club.

After a period of poor play, the Cats traded Burns to the Adelaide Crows for Ben Finnin,^[1] who ultimately did not play a game for the Cats. Burns played out the rest of his career with the Crows but failed to make the same impact as he had made for the Cats.

Burns played 154 games and kicked 262 goals from 1995 to 2004.

References

1. Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2003). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (5th ed.). North Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 90. ISBN 1-74095-032-1.
2. Roffey, Chelsea (21 May 2009). "The Tiwi effect". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
3. In Depth: Ronnie Burns By Daniela Harvey for afl.com.au on May 25, 2001
4. McGrath, John (2 May 1997). "Burns Back with a Future". The West Australian.