Peake Hangs Up the Boots

As you walk in to the locker room at the East Fremantle Football Club you notice the last player to have their name printed on the number 7 locker is Brian Peake.  The name that will sit beneath it in the coming days will be Brett Peake.

On Thursday “Peakey” spoke to the playing group announcing that he will not play on in 2015.  A decision that did not come easy, Brett had been battling his decision around work commitments and an excellent season in 2014, but knew early in the week that it was in fact time to call it a day at WAFL level.  Season 2014 will no doubt see Brett remembered for the excellent finish to a fantastic football career at both WAFL and AFL level, where he kicked 43 goals for the Sharks in arguably his best year in the WAFL. 

Brett began his League career at East Fremantle back in 2003, playing 20 games, after debuting in round 2.  At the end of the 2003 season the Fremantle Dockers drafted Brett under the Father/Son rule with pick number 43.  Peake spent the entire 2004 season playing with East Fremantle, but excellent form during that season placed him well to make his debut in the AFL that following season.  Finally in round 13, 2005 Brett made his AFL debut against North Melbourne.  Brett ended the season having played nine of the last ten games. In 2006 Peake became a regular with the Dockers' side, polling ten Brownlow votes that year.  A  few injuries along the way did see him play the odd game or two for the Sharks whilst playing for the Dockers, and at the end of the 2009 season Brett was traded to Saint Kilda.

In 2010 Brett would have thought the change was a great decision as he lined up for the Saints in the AFL Grand Final.  Unfortunately after that historic first Grand Final which ended in a draw against the Magpies, Peake and the Saints couldn’t put together the same performance and were beaten convincingly in the second.  Brett ended up playing three seasons and 43 games with Saint Kilda, after his 75 with Fremantle.

In 2013 Brett returned to beloved Sharks to finish his career.  It was fitting that in the preliminary final in 2014 against Subiaco, in what is now his last game for the Sharks, Brett played his 100^th senior game.  Had it not been for some wasted opportunities in that last game maybe the script could have been perfect, but as Brett told the boys on Thursday “that’s football”.  On reflecting on his career at the Sharks Brett said “coming back to the Sharks was a good transition from AFL, where I could play at a high level still, but consider a career and life after football.  To obviously return to the Sharks where it all began and to have my name on the locker underneath my Dad is absolutely fantastic.”

Brett from all those at the East Fremantle Football Club, we thank you for your contribution to football.  118 AFL and 100 WAFL is an outstanding career, one that you should be proud. 

Brett Peake

100 games – East Fremantle Football Club

91 goals

118 games – 75 Fremantle & 43 Saint Kilda

2 International Rules games for Australia