James Ross Bartel (born 4 December 1983) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Kardinia Park in South Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). A

utility In economics, utility is a measure of a certain person's satisfaction from a certain state of the world. Over time, the term has been used with at least two meanings. * In a normative context, utility refers to a goal or objective that we wish ...

, tall and weighing , Bartel contributed as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, forward, and defender. Bartel made his

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

debut in 2002 and has garnered a long list of accolades and achievements. He is a triple premiership player, a Brownlow Medalist, Norm Smith Medalist, and a two-time

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

. Bartel is one of only three AFL players, along with Simon Black and

Dustin Martin Dustin Martin (born 26 June 1991) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Martin was drafted by Richmond with the third pick in the 2009 AFL draft#2 ...

to have won a Brownlow Medal, a Norm Smith Medal and played over 300 AFL games.

Early life

Bartel was born to Terry Bartel and Dianne Bennett in

Geelong, Victoria Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

. He spent much of his childhood in Herne Hill without his father. When his parents divorced while he was just one year old, Bartel's mother was left to raise him and his two elder sisters, Olivia and Emma, by herself.Edmund, S
"Jimmy Bartel's father wants to bury past"
heraldsun.com.au, 26 September 2007, accessed 26 September 2007 After beginning his junior football at Bell Park, Bartel went on to attend renowned footballing school St. Joseph's College, where his talent for sports became evident early.Heenan, M
"James Bartel Documentary"
The Cattery, 6 March 2003, accessed 6 October 2007 Bartel displayed initial promise as a cricketer, representing the 'Joeys' in 1st XI cricket as a 16-year-old, and winning the school's batting awards in both 2000 and 2001. This led to selection in the state under-17 team, before a switch in focus toward football instead saw Bartel selected to play for the

Geelong Falcons The Geelong Falcons is a youth Australian rules football representative club in the Talent League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition in Victoria, Australia. The club takes in talented junior players from the Geelong, Colac and Warr ...

team in the

TAC Cup The Talent League (also known as the Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the NAB League and TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition based in Melbourne and run by the Australian Foot ...

competition. Although his age made him ineligible for the

2000 AFL Draft The 2000 AFL draft was the annual draft of talented Australian rules football players by teams that participate in the Australian Football League. It consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation. In ...

, Bartel garnered an impressive array of accolades and honours as a bottom-aged player. Bartel won mid-year State honours for Victoria Country in the AFL Under 18 Championships, with his performances in the championship games earning him end-of-year

honours and the

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

award for Victoria Country. In addition, he was named in the TAC Cup Team of the Year, won a

premiership medallion with the Geelong Falcons, and also claimed the

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

award while still only 16 years of age. Entering his second year with the Falcons, Bartel was rewarded with the team captaincy for the season. Bartel again won mid-year state honours for Victoria Country and was additionally awarded the state captaincy. Although failing to repeat his previous success as national champion with Victoria Country, Bartel's individual performances saw him earn

honours and gain selection in the

Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.

AFL career

Early career (2002–2006)

The

drafted Bartel with their first selection and the eighth overall draft pick in the

2001 AFL Draft The 2001 AFL draft consisted of a state draft, a body draft, a pre-season draft and a trade period. The AFL draft is the annual draft of players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Austr ...

. After making his debut in the opening round of the 2002 AFL premiership season, which was a heavy defeat to

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington United Kin ...

, Bartel went on to play in 11 out of a possible 22 senior games over the year.FootyWir
"Jimmy Bartel Statistics"
footywire.com, accessed 30 July 2008 After gathering 21 disposals in round 4, Bartel was awarded an

AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Bu ...

nomination. Having been dropped back to the club's VFL team to play out the second half of the season, Bartel played a key part in helping a young Geelong reserves side capture the 2002 VFL Premiership. In helping the Cats defeat

Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Port Phillip, Port Phillip Local government ...

by 22 points, Bartel saw the club secure its first major piece of silverware since 1982. Despite an impressive debut season, Bartel struggled to maintain his spot within the team during the

2003 AFL season The 2003 AFL season was the 107th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level of senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured ...

, featuring in only 13 senior games. Averaging just 12 disposals a game, Bartel was unable to help the Cats qualify for the finals series for the third successive season. After just two senior appearances to begin the

2004 AFL season The 2004 AFL season was the 108th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured si ...

, Bartel was again dropped back to the VFL and instructed by coaching staff to work on particular aspects of his game. Despite compiling a series of impressive games in the VFL, Bartel was deliberately made to work hard over a two-month period before earning a round 10 recall into the senior side.Gullan, S
"Humble lad Bartel tried his hardest"
Herald Sun Newspaper, 26 September 2007, accessed 6 October 2007 Bartel's re-introduction to the senior team coincided with Geelong winning ten out of their final twelve games and securing a top four spot ahead of the finals series. Although Geelong were eliminated in the preliminary final by reigning premiers

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Bartel's averages of 22 disposals and 5 tackles a game over the course of the season had seen him secure his position within the team's midfield rotation. His performances during the second half of the season, during which he averaged 29 disposals and 5 tackles a game, also saw him recognised as the highest-polling Geelong player—with 13 votes in total—during the 2004

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...

count. Bartel continued to build on his reputation as a tough, courageous midfielder during the

2005 AFL season The 2005 AFL season was the 109th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sixt ...

, earning his first nomination for the AFLPA Robert Rose Award for Most Courageous Player in the league. Averaging 19.6 disposals a game, Bartel again helped Geelong qualify for the season-ending finals series, where they met

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in the semi-finals. After developing a slim lead for much of the game, Geelong struggled to maintain their advantage during the final minutes of the match. Bartel was restricted to just 9 disposals as the Swans eventually won through to the preliminary finals, defeating Geelong by 3 points.

Geelong dynasty, Brownlow Medal and Norm Smith Medal (2007–2011)

During the 2007 season, Bartel established himself as one of the premier ball-winning midfielders in the competition, averaging over 27 disposals per game—the second-highest possession average in the league—and finishing amongst the top 10 within the league for total disposals (632), total handballs (291), total tackles (122), and tackles per game (5.3). After helping the Cats claim the

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football club championship trophy, awarded each year to the club with the best aggregate performance across the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) seasons. The trophy was inaugur ...

, he was again nominated for the AFLPA Robert Rose Award as the game's most courageous player, and was also rewarded with his first

jumper. Bartel's standout season continued when he was awarded the prestigious

, winning with 29 votes—the highest number of votes ever by a Geelong medalist, and the third highest ever by any player under the current polling system—in a season that included eight

best on ground Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

performances."Jimmy Bartel wins the Brownlow Medal"
heraldsun.com.au, 25 September 2007, accessed 25 September 2007 Despite missing the final two games of the regular season due to a burst appendix, Bartel also set an AFL record alongside teammate Gary Ablett, Jr., for polling the most combined votes ever by two players of the same club. In addition, the pair combined with teammate

Joel Corey Joel Corey (born 17 February 1982) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder (Australian Rules), midfielder, tall and weighing , Corey is able to con ...

to set another AFL record for most votes ever polled by three players of the same club, at 61 votes. He capped off a fine season by winning his first premiership medallion when he helped

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

claim the 2007 AFL Premiership. Bartel's 28 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, and 2 goals in the

2007 AFL Grand Final The 2007 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Port Adelaide Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 2007. It was the 111th annual Gran ...

helped the Cats claim an AFL-record 119-point victory over

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

. Another outstanding season for Bartel in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

saw him earn All-Australian honours for the second straight season. Bartel had 20 or more possessions in the 24 of 25 games that he played which included 3 finals, Bartel also had his best career game for possessions during the season, in round 14 when he picked up 41 possessions against

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

Bartel would finish the season second in disposals with 702, also finishing second in kicks with 382. Geelong would have another dominant season finishing first on the ladder four wins ahead of second they would once again make the Grand Final, but would fall short losing to Hawthorn by 26 points. Bartel also took part in the special one-off event that pitted the interstate stars of the league against the Victoria stars of the league it was Victoria vs. Dream Team the AFL created the one-off event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football. Bartel picked up 19 possessions as the Victoria team won by 17 points. Bartel played his 150th game in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, round 18 against Adelaide this game also marked his 100th win as a player, Bartel also equaled his career high for disposals when he had 41 possessions against

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in round 6. In round 17, Geelong was facing Hawthorn, and the game was tied 98–98. Bartel would take a mark just as the siren sounded; he would go on to kick a point, resulting in Geelong winning by one point, 99–98. Geelong would finish the season second on the ladder two wins behind first. Bartel was outstanding in the Preliminary final against Collingwood, he picked up 32 possessions and helped Geelong defeat Collingwood to make their third straight Grand Final. Bartel would have spectacular defensive game in the Grand Final with 16 tackles which are equal highest in AFL history and a Grand Final record. Geelong would go on to win the Grand Final by 12 points this being Bartel's second premiership. Bartel had another strong season in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, picking up 630 possessions at the end of the season for the fourth year straight and laying 110 tackles for the fourth consecutive year. Once again Geelong would finish second on the ladder one win behind Collingwood. Bartel averaged 32 possessions during the three finals that Geelong played. Geelong was eliminated in the preliminary final when they lost by 41 points to Collingwood. In 2011 Bartel played his 200th game in round 21 against Adelaide, also kicked a career-high 26 goals in the season from only 32 shots and once again had over 500 possessions in the season. Geelong would once again finish second, one win behind Collingwood. Geelong would make the Grand Final and beat Collingwood by 38 points. Bartel had a spectacular performance picking up 26 possessions and kicking three goals; this resulted in Bartel being the best player on the ground and winning the

Norm Smith Medal The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the grand final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990, the competition was known as the Victorian Footbal ...

award and also his Third Premiership.

Changing roles, injuries and continued individual success (2012–2015)

Bartel played most of the

2012 AFL Season The 2012 AFL season was the 116th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured eighteen clubs, with addition of the newly established Greater ...

with a stress fracture in his foot, despite this, he still had 20+ possessions in most of those games, which helped him produce his eighth straight 400+ possession season. Geelong finished sixth on the ladder which resulted in them playing an elimination final against seventh placed Fremantle. Despite 26 possessions from Bartel, Geelong lost by 16 points. In 2013 Bartel would put together another solid season even though he moved from his usual Forward/Midfield role into the backline, specifically across half back. Bartel would gather 558 possessions for the season, the fifth time he has had over 550 in a season; his best possession game was in a win over the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

in round 23 when he had 35 possessions. Geelong would finish second on the ladder one win behind Hawthorn. Bartel played all 24 games of the season including three finals; Geelong would be eliminated in preliminary final losing to Hawthorn by 5 points, and Bartel Became Geelong's finals games record holder, having now played in 24 finals matches. Bartel started the

2014 AFL Season The 2014 AFL season was the 118th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eig ...

by playing his 250th game in round 1 with a win over Adelaide Bartel would have 21 possessions and a career-best four goals in the game. Bartel would continue his goal kicking throughout the season as he kicked a goal in 18 of the 23 games he played in, resulting in a career-best 27 goals for the season and also being Geelong's second leading goal kicker for the season. Geelong would finish third on the ladder on the same wins and losses as second and first but were behind in percentage. Bartel would play in both finals as Geelong were eliminated in the semifinals losing by 6 points to

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...

. Bartel would only play 11 out of 23 games in the

2015 AFL Season The 2015 AFL season was the 119th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eig ...

, due to an injury sustained in round 3 against Gold Coast. Bartel went off in the first quarter and was later revealed to have a torn medial ligament in his left knee; Bartel was sidelined for three months this is the first time in Bartel's career that he had been sidelined by a serious injury. Bartel returned in round 15 having a career best game picking up 41 possessions in a heavy defeat to North Melbourne. Bartel would go on to play the final eight games of the season. Owing to the injury, Bartel's tackle count and disposal count was at an all-time low at the end of the season with only 43 tackles and 259 disposals. Geelong finished tenth and missed the finals.

Veteran status and retirement (2016)

In the off-season, Geelong began revamping their team, as many of their veterans were over 30, and a new wave of younger talent was coming in; Bartel was 31 years old, and the six players out of contract were Corey Enright, Andrew Mackie, Jimmy Bartel, Steve Johnson, Matthew Stokes and James Kelly. Five of these players played in Geelong's four grand final appearances, including the three premiership victories. Stokes was the only one who didn't play in all four, as he missed the 2009 Grand Final. Geelong decided to delist Steve Johnson, James Kelly, and Matthew Stokes while limiting Corey Enright, Andrew Mackie and Jimmy Bartel all to 1-year contract extensions. In round 19, 2016, Bartel played his 300th game, picking up 25 possessions and kicking one goal in a 25-point win over the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

. At the conclusion of the season, he announced his retirement from the AFL. In December 2018, Bartel joined the board of directors of the

GWS Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS or Giants) are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney Olympic Park which repres ...

. Outside of his playing career, he was honoured for his community work with the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award, which was given based on his dedication to the Just Think Program, the ‘Face up to DV’ campaign, which he initiated in early 2016 based on his own personal experience, and his role as an ambassador for Cottage by the Sea. The award came with a $20,000 prize to be distributed to a charity of his choice.

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 11 , , 3 , , 2 , , 71 , , 69 , , 140 , , 29 , , 26 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 6.5 , , 6.3 , , 12.7 , , 2.6 , , 2.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 13 , , 5 , , 2 , , 71 , , 86 , , 157 , , 37 , , 31 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 5.5 , , 6.6 , , 12.1 , , 2.8 , , 2.4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 16 , , 3 , , 8 , , 222 , , 126 , , 348 , , 90 , , 78 , , 0.2 , , 0.5 , , 13.9 , , 7.9 , , 21.8 , , 5.6 , , 4.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 24 , , 18 , , 5 , , 274 , , 196 , , 470 , , 131 , , 94 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 11.4 , , 8.2 , , 19.6 , , 5.5 , , 3.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 21 , , 15 , , 12 , , 297 , , 187 , , 484 , , 139 , , 79 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 14.1 , , 8.9 , , 23.0 , , 6.6 , , 3.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 23 , , 18 , , 8 , , 341 , , 291 , , 632 , , 143 , , 122 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 14.8 , , 12.7 , , 27.5 , , 6.2 , , 5.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 25 , , 22 , , 15 , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 382 , , 320 , , 702 , , 142 , , 124 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 15.3 , , 12.8 , , 28.1 , , 5.7 , , 5.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 24 , , 12 , , 15 , , 347 , , 300 , , 647 , , 152 , , 128 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 14.5 , , 12.5 , , 27.0 , , 6.3 , , 5.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 24 , , 14 , , 11 , , 343 , , 287 , , 630 , , 138 , , 110 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 14.3 , , 12.0 , , 26.3 , , 5.8 , , 4.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 24 , , 26 , , 6 , , 325 , , 204 , , 529 , , 142 , , 94 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 13.5 , , 8.5 , , 22.0 , , 5.9 , , 3.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 20 , , 12 , , 10 , , 230 , , 190 , , 420 , , 101 , , 121 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 11.5 , , 9.5 , , 21.0 , , 5.1 , , 6.1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 24 , , 16 , , 9 , , 354 , , 204 , , 558 , , 129 , , 84 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 14.8 , , 8.5 , , 23.3 , , 5.4 , , 3.5 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 23 , , 27 , , 18 , , 321 , , 183 , , 504 , , 125 , , 100 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 14.0 , , 8.0 , , 21.9 , , 5.4 , , 4.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 11 , , 0 , , 1 , , 127 , , 132 , , 259 , , 69 , , 43 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 11.5 , , 12.0 , , 23.5 , , 6.3 , , 3.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 3 , , 22 , , 11 , , 8 , , 261 , , 215 , , 476 , , 111 , , 82 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 11.9 , , 9.8 , , 21.6 , , 5.0 , , 3.7 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 305 ! 202 ! 130 ! 3966 ! 2990 ! 6956 ! 1678 ! 1316 ! 0.7 ! 0.4 ! 13.0 ! 9.8 ! 22.8 ! 5.5 ! 4.3

Honours

*Team **

AFL Premiership This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1989, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. The inaugur ...

(

) : 2007, 2009, 2011 **

(

): 2007, 2008 ** NAB Cup (

): 2006, 2009 ** VFL Premiership (

): 2002 *Individual **

: 2007 **

: 2007, 2008 **

: 2011 **Victorian Team representative honours in AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match: 2008 **''Geelong Advertiser Bendigo Bank'' Sports Star of the Year Award: 2007 **Sports Performer of the Year Award: 2007 **''TCM'' AFL Performers of the Year Award: 2007 *Other achievements **Geelong F.C. Vice-Captain: 2012-13 **Inducted into the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame: 2009 **Second in Carji Greeves Medal: 2006, 2007 **Third in AFLPA Robert Rose Award for Most Courageous Player: 2007 **Most Geelong votes in the Brownlow Medal: 2004, 2007 *TAC Cup ** All Australian U/18 (2000, 2001) **

Team of the Year (2000, 2001) **

Premiership (2000) ** Vic Country

Award (2000) ** Vic Country U/18 (2000, 2001) ** Vic Country U/18 Captain (2001) **

Captain (2001) **

Best & Fairest (2000) ** Runner-Up

Best & Fairest (2001)

Personal life

Bartel has publicly discussed the domestic violence perpetrated by his father during his early life. Bartel's father kept intermittent contact with Jimmy and his sisters throughout their childhood, but Jimmy severed ties with him after his 21st birthday following a violent incident involving his father, sister, and newborn nephew. Bartel accused his father of being an aggressive and heavy drinker, and was forced to take a stand, severing all contact with his father until his death in 2010. In the aftermath of Bartel's victory in the

2007 Brownlow Medal The 2007 Brownlow Medal was the 80th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. Jimmy Bartel of the Geelong Football Club won the medal by po ...

count, the family's issues were spotlighted throughout the media, after an interview with Terry Bartel by the ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...

'' revealed his plea for reconciliation with his children. Off the field, Bartel holds a part-time job within the Geelong Football Club's social welfare department. He studied Social Work at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...

, and is now completing a degree in business and law through Open University. Growing up, Bartel was a supporter of the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or colloquially the Tiges, is a professional Australian rules football team competing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria, Ric ...

. Bartel's cousin Josh is a former professional

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

punter for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

and

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

. Josh previously had a semi-professional career with the Wodonga Bulldogs. In 2020, he was named in the St Joseph's College team of champions, recognising the best

VFL/AFL The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

players to have attended the school. Bartel began dating Nadia Coppolino in 2008, and he married her on the Bellarine Peninsula in 2014. Nadia runs an online clothing store called The Connection with her sister and is also the creative director of her own brand, Henne. The couple welcomed their first child on 27 November 2015. They welcomed their second son on 17 October 2018. The couple announced their separation in August 2019 after it was revealed that Jimmy was in a long-term relationship with another woman, Lauren Mand. Their divorce was finalised in August 2021. He has been in a relationship with Amelia Shepperd since July 2021. On October 1, 2022, Bartel announced on his Instagram that he and Amelia are expecting a baby girl. In November 2023, it was reported that Bartel had successfully chased down and subdued an escaping thief who had robbed a liquor store; Bartel returned the stolen merchandise to the shopkeeper.

Domestic violence campaign

Bartel grew up being raised by a single parent (his mother) and his two sisters while his father was distant. Bartel's father was also a heavy drinker and physically abused Bartel's mother. In 2016, Bartel grew out his facial hair for a full AFL season in order to raise money for domestic violence. He continued to raise money to support related causes when he shaved the beard in October 2016.

Footnotes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartel, James 1983 births All-Australians (AFL) Brownlow Medal winners Geelong Football Club players Geelong Football Club premiership players Living people Australian rules footballers from Geelong Geelong Falcons players St Joseph's Football Club players Norm Smith Medal winners Deakin University alumni VFL/AFL premiership players Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees 21st-century Australian sportsmen