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Peter "Spida" Everitt (born 3 May 1974) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club, Hawthorn Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for St Kilda from 1993 to 2002, Hawthorn from 2003 to 2006, and Sydney in 2007 and 2008. He finished his career having played 291 games in the AFL. Since retiring from football he has worked in the media.

Early life

Everitt was born on the Mornington Peninsula. For part of his childhood, he resided in Wantirna.

Career

St Kilda

Making his debut for St Kilda in 1993, the then dreadlocked Everitt became one of the Saints' best ruckmen.

Everitt played in St Kilda's 1996 pre-season Cup winning side.

Everitt played every match of the 1997 season home and away rounds in which St Kilda Football Club qualified in first position for the 1997 AFL Finals Series, winning the club's second Minor Premiership and first McClelland Trophy. He won All-Australian selection in 1997, but he suffered a collarbone injury late in the year, missing the Grand Final. He again won All-Australian selection in 1998.

Hawthorn career

At the end of 2002, Everitt was traded to Hawthorn, and he became one of the premier tap ruckmen in the competition, winning All-Australian selection in 2005. He was traded to the Sydney Swans for the 2007 season.

In September 2006, it was announced that Everitt would not be playing for the Hawks in 2007. Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said in a statement released by the club that Everitt had failed to reach an agreement with Hawthorn regarding his contract. Everitt had allegedly requested a two-year contract, but Hawthorn was only prepared to offer the then 32-year-old ruckman a one-year deal. The Hawks agreed to seek to trade Everitt with another club.

Sydney career

Consequently, on 13 October 2006, Everitt was traded to the Sydney Swans in the final minutes of trade week in return for draft pick 33. The trade ended strong belief that Everitt would be forced to nominate for the pre-season draft and risk being picked up by another club rather than Sydney following a stall in negotiations between the two clubs.

Everitt spent two seasons at the Swans before retiring after the Swans' semi-finals defeat in 2008.

Statistics

Media career

Everitt co-hosts the number 1 Breakfast Radio Show at Triple M on the Gold Coast 2022 is his 11th year. He was formerly a member of The Home Straight radio show which aired Friday evenings on Gold 92.5 amongst other regional radio stations across Australia until 2012. He is also an AFL commentator on radio with Triple M.

Everitt and his wife Sheree also own the travel TV show The Great Australian Doorstep, in which they travel around Australia and the world by motorhome filming smaller towns with what to see and do. It airs on 7two in Australia as well as on the iTunes store, and is the only Australian travel TV show to air in mainland China. They also own their travel radio show of the same name, which airs on 62 Triple M stations around Australia on a Saturday and Sunday morning.

He also competed in the 9th season of Dancing with the Stars and was the first competitor to be eliminated.

Personal life

On 12 January 2008, Everitt married partner of seven years Sheree in New Zealand. Everitt has three daughters and a son.

His younger brother, Andrejs Everitt, played 131 games at the Western Bulldogs, Sydney Swans and Carlton between 2007 and 2016. In 2022, his son Boston is part of the St Kilda Football Club Father–Son Programme.

Racism incidents

Everitt was first publicly exposed for his racist taunts after he racially vilified aboriginal player Michael Long, an Essendon and AFL Hall of Famer, in 1997.

During a game against Melbourne in Round 2, 1999, Everitt racially vilified Scott Chisolm. Everitt admitted he "probably crossed a line" and voluntarily stood down for four weeks and undertook a racial awareness training program as well as donating $20,000 to a charity of Chisolm's choice. In addition, Everitt lost $50,000–$60,000 in match bonuses (depending on sources) from the incident. The incident came a week after Sam Newman infamously donned blackface to mock Nicky Winmar for declining to come on The Footy Show.

References

1. "AFL 1996 Ansett Cup Grand Final – St Kilda v Carlton". Slattery Media Group. 23 March 1996. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
2. "1997 Season Scores and Results – Ladder". AFL Tables. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
3. Tugwelll, Nikki (7 September 2007). "Jolly good future at Swans". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
4. Michael Cowley, Michael (6 September 2006). "Age no deterrent to signing ruckman Everitt, says Roos". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
5. "Spida pleased with move north". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
6. Robinson, Mark (13 October 2006). "Hawthorn digs in, Spida fumes". Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
7. Peter Everitt's player profile at AFL Tables
8. McFarlane, Glenn (21 March 2009). "Peter Everitt wants to erase a dirty memory". Sunday Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
9. Palmer, Scot (13 January 2008). "Peter "Spida" Everitt marries". PerthNow. News Corp. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
10. Saints add son of club great to Next Generation Academy, Zero Hanger, 24 Jan 2022
11. "McNamara, Lawrence --- "Tackling Racial Hatred: Conciliation, Reconciliation and Football" [2000] AUJlHRights 18; (2000) 6(2) Australian Journal of Human Rights 5". classic.austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
12. 1997 discussion around racism. AFL. Wayne Jackson, Leigh Matthews, Talking Footy., retrieved 17 April 2023
13. McFarlane, Glenn (21 March 2009). "Peter Everitt wants to erase a dirty memory". Sunday Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
14. "Infamous AFL racism incidents". The Age. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
15. "Everitt accuses Murphy of attempting to incite racism". The Age. 26 July 2002. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
16. "McNamara, Lawrence --- "Tackling Racial Hatred: Conciliation, Reconciliation and Football" [2000] AUJlHRights 18; (2000) 6(2) Australian Journal of Human Rights 5". classic.austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
17. "Australian rules: Racism backfires on St Kilda player". The Independent. 9 April 1999. Retrieved 17 April 2023.

External links

• Peter Everitt's playing statistics from AFL Tables

v t e Australian squad – 1998 International Rules Series
Buckley Camporeale Campbell Carey (c) Crawford Eagleton Stoneham Farmer Hart Harvey Holland Johnson Lloyd Neitz Rehn Ricciuto Silvagni (gk) Smart Smith Stevens Stynes Viney Wellman
Coach: Matthews

• 1974 births
• Living people
• Australian rules footballers from Melbourne
• Australian rules football commentators
• St Kilda Football Club players
• Hawthorn Football Club players
• Sydney Swans players
• All-Australians (AFL)
• Peter Crimmins Medal winners
• Victorian State of Origin players
• Trevor Barker Award winners
• Australian people of Latvian descent
• People from Hastings, Victoria
• People from the City of Knox