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Michael Desmond Rea (born 10 December 1956) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Perth in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).

Recruited from Edithvale-Aspendale, Rea made three appearances with Melbourne late in the 1978 VFL season, all of which they lost. He wasn't kept on Melbourne's list the following year and joined Perth, with whom he would be a prolific forward until 1988, except for a brief stint with Mines Rovers in Collie during the 1984 season.

Rea topped the goal-kicking at Perth every season between 1982 and 1988 and he won two Bernie Naylor Medals as the WAFL's leading goal-kicker. He won the first in 1985 when he kicked exactly 100 goals and he backed it up in 1986 with 90 goals as Perth played senior finals for the first time since 1978 and the third-last occasion as of 2014. Although Rea never reached double figures for Perth's senior team despite averaging 3.87 goals per match, in his last appearance when relegated after indifferent form to reserve grade he kicked fourteen goals.

References

1. See Christian, Geoff; 'Stable Defence Warms Brown’; The West Australian, 8 April 1985, p. 72
2. McDonald, Ron; 'Rea Is Ready to Bow Out'; The West Australian, 22 August 1988, p. 117

• Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

External links

• Mick Rea's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Mick Rea's playing statistics from WAFL Footy Facts
• Demon Wiki profile

• 1956 births
• Living people
• Melbourne Football Club players
• Perth Football Club players
• Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
• 20th-century Australian sportsmen