Playing Career
Baldock made his senior football debut for East Devonport in Tasmania's now defunct North-West Football Union in 1955 at the age of 16. He was selected in the NWFU team for intrastate matches and won the club best and fairest award that year. Even then, Baldock was already famous for his ball handling skills and balance. Baldock played 71 games for East Devonport before he switched to Latrobe in 1959. At the age of 20, Baldock became the youngest player ever to captain Tasmania.
A ready-made superstar, Baldock ventured across Bass Strait in 1962 to play for St. Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL), where he had an instant impact. Baldock played at centre half-forward and was made captain of St Kilda's "Team of the Century" in 2002, and named as the initial "legend" in the St Kilda Football Club Hall of Fame in 2003.
In 1969, Baldock returned to Tasmania and captain-coached Latrobe to four consecutive NWFU premierships from 1969 to 1972. Baldock played 158 games for Latrobe before finishing in 1974. He then played four games for New Norfolk in 1975 before beginning his parliamentary career. In state representative matches, Baldock represented Victoria 10 times, Tasmania 15 times and the North-West Football Union 20 times.
Read more about this topic: Darrel Baldock
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