Simon Beasley

Simon Beasley (born 26 July 1956) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Swan Districts in the WAFL and Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL), now known as the Australian Football League (AFL).

Recruited from Swan Districts in the WAFL, Beasley moved to Melbourne in 1982 to pursue his career as a stockbroker, and signed with Footscray in the VFL. He made his debut in the Round 1 of the 1982 VFL season against a rampant Essendon side at Windy Hill, the Bulldogs losing heavily by 109 points. However, Beasley did not take long to establish himself as a prominent full-forward, kicking 12 goals against Geelong in Round 16 and ending his debut season with a very respectable 82 goals in an under-performing side.

In 1985, the Bulldogs rose up the ladder, finishing in second place at the end of the home-and-away season before losing to Hawthorn in the Preliminary Final. Beasley played a key role, taking out the Coleman Medal with 93 goals during the home-and-away season, his personal best. He reached the century mark with a seven-goal performance in the First Semi-Final against North Melbourne and ended the season with 105 goals, becoming only the second Bulldog after Kelvin Templeton to kick 100 goals in a season. The following year his career was affected by a dispute with former club Swan Districts, who demanded $50,000 from the Bulldogs to keep Beasley in Victoria as the WAFL Swans believed his lease had expired – though nothing was actually given.