#973 David Calthorpe

A member of Essendon's famed Baby Bombers, David Calthorpe reflects with raw honesty and openness on his 92-game career at Windy Hill (1992-98), which included the 1994 pre-season premiership, an EJ Whitten Medal as best Victorian State of Origin player, and of course, that famous 1993 flag alongside a number of his childhood mates from in and around the East Keilor area of Melbourne's northern suburbs. Calthorpe—a tagger, and one of the best endurance runners at the club—walked out on the Bombers after 1998 and joined the Leigh Matthews-coached Brisbane Lions for 1999 (nine games), before playing one final season at North Melbourne in 2000 (13 games). He later returned to Essendon in off-field roles alongside then coach, Matthew Knights, where, as Calthorpe reveals, the ending left a bitter taste in his mouth.