Peter "Spida" Everitt (born 3 May 1974) 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

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 ...

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawth ...

and

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

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). 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 The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located in the south of Greater Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to ...

. For part of his childhood, he resided in

Wantirna Wantirna is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Wantirna recorded a population of 14,237 at the 2021 census. Its name is ...

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 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 ...

selection in 1997, but he suffered a collarbone injury late in the year, missing the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

. He again won

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

selection in 2005. He was traded to the

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 Alastair Thomas Clarkson (born 27 April 1968) is an Australian rules football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and was previously head coach of t ...

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

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

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

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, , 10 , , 13 , , 16 , , 14 , , 112 , , 54 , , 166 , , 54 , , 6 , , 122 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 8.6 , , 4.2 , , 12.8 , , 4.2 , , 0.5 , , 9.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, , 10 , , 18 , , 13 , , 6 , , 75 , , 36 , , 111 , , 39 , , 8 , , 57 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 4.2 , , 2.0 , , 2.2 , , 0.4 , , 3.2 , , 6.2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, , 10 , , 18 , , 32 , , 20 , , 143 , , 56 , , 199 , , 92 , , 9 , , 115 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 7.9 , , 3.1 , , 11.1 , , 5.1 , , 0.5 , , 6.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, , 10 , , 19 , , 41 , , 23 , , 152 , , 76 , , 228 , , 101 , , 16 , , 139 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 8.0 , , 4.0 , , 12.0 , , 5.3 , , 0.8 , , 7.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, , 10 , , 23 , , 44 , , 25 , , 256 , , 90 , , 346 , , 135 , , 23 , , 302 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 11.1 , , 3.9 , , 15.0 , , 5.9 , , 1.0 , , 13.1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, , 10 , , 24 , , 45 , , 32 , , 300 , , 111 , , 411 , , 163 , , 22 , , 433 , , 1.9 , , 1.3 , , 12.5 , , 4.6 , , 17.1 , , 6.8 , , 0.9 , , 18.0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, , 10 , , 17 , , 22 , , 21 , , 166 , , 58 , , 224 , , 101 , , 16 , , 347 , , 1.3 , , 1.2 , , 9.8 , , 3.4 , , 13.2 , , 5.9 , , 0.9 , , 20.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, , 10 , , 15 , , 40 , , 18 , , 129 , , 47 , , 176 , , 74 , , 15 , , 186 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , 8.6 , , 3.1 , , 11.7 , , 4.9 , , 1.0 , , 12.4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, , 10 , , 21 , , 30 , , 24 , , 201 , , 64 , , 265 , , 98 , , 32 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 569 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , 9.6 , , 3.0 , , 12.6 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 27.1 , - ! 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 ...

, , 10 , , 12 , , 16 , , 10 , , 96 , , 36 , , 132 , , 52 , , 18 , , 264 , , 1.3 , , 0.8 , , 8.0 , , 3.0 , , 11.0 , , 4.3 , , 1.5 , , 22.0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! 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 ...

, , 1 , , 14 , , 17 , , 7 , , 130 , , 44 , , 174 , , 67 , , 24 , , 330 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 9.3 , , 3.1 , , 12.4 , , 4.8 , , 1.7 , , 23.6 , - ! 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 ...

, , 1 , , 22 , , 28 , , 11 , , 203 , , 90 , , 293 , , 99 , , 43 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 628 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 9.2 , , 4.1 , , 13.3 , , 4.5 , , 2.0 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 28.5 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! 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 ...

, , 1 , , 22 , , 17 , , 15 , , 261 , , 121 , , 382 , , 123 , , 46 , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 556 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 11.9 , , 5.5 , , 17.4 , , 5.6 , , 2.1 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 25.3 , - ! 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 ...

, , 1 , , 14 , , 5 , , 3 , , 114 , , 54 , , 168 , , 58 , , 25 , , 309 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 8.1 , , 3.9 , , 12.0 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , , 22.1 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! 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 ...

, , 10 , , 23 , , 15 , , 9 , , 178 , , 78 , , 256 , , 93 , , 18 , , 405 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 7.7 , , 3.4 , , 11.1 , , 4.0 , , 0.8 , , 17.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, , 10 , , 16 , , 2 , , 4 , , 92 , , 45 , , 137 , , 41 , , 20 , , 199 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 5.8 , , 2.8 , , 8.6 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , 12.4 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 291 ! 383 ! 242 ! 2608 ! 1060 ! 3668 ! 1390 ! 341 ! 4961 ! 1.3 ! 0.8 ! 9.0 ! 3.6 ! 12.6 ! 4.8 ! 1.2 ! 17.0

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 Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...

. 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

stations around Australia on a Saturday and Sunday morning. He also competed in the 9th season of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'' 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 Andrejs Everitt (born 13 March 1989) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs, Sydney Swans and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the younger brother of former , ...

, 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 John Noel William "Sam" Newman (born 22 December 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A talented and athletic player who served his apprenticeship unde ...

infamously donned

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

to mock

Nicky Winmar Neil Elvis "Nicky" Winmar (born 25 September 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer best known for his career for and the in the Australian Football League (AFL), as well as in the West Australian Football League. An Indigenous Austra ...

for declining to come on '' The Footy Show.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Everitt, Peter 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