Luke Penny (born 8 February 1981) 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. Recruited to 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 ...

in the 1998

AFL Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft (sports), draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League ( ...

as pick 14, Penny was seen as a project player who could lead the defence in years to come. He stood at 193 cm, and made his debut in 2000. With Matthew Croft at the club, he could not cement his spot at the Bulldogs, so was traded to

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...

for pick 17 (which turned out to be Cameron Faulkner) in the 2002 AFL Draft. Making his debut with the Saints in 2003, Penny continued to improve in a key-defensive position, and became first-choice full-back at the club. However, in 2004 and particularly 2005, Penny started having trouble with his knees. In 2005 he played just 9 games and was a figure in the Saints' massive injury list throughout the year. At the end of the 2005 season, Penny's knee injuries had become a massive problem and it was widely known that he was considering retirement. At just 24 years of age, on 29 November, Penny made his retirement official, with 3 years remaining on his contract.

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* * 1981 births Living people St Kilda Football Club players Western Bulldogs players People educated at St Kevin's College, Melbourne Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Oakleigh Chargers players {{AFL-bio-1980s-stub