Recruited from Ingle Farm, Martin Pike made his SANFL debut with Norwood in 1991 and spent two highly impressive seasons with the Redlegs before being drafted by Melbourne. After playing 24 AFL games for the Demons in 1993-4, without ever really impressing, he was traded to Fitzroy where he rapidly developed into one of the club's most consistently effective performers. Hard running, and strong at the ball, he collected numerous possessions for the Lions across half back, winning a best and fairest award in 1996, the club's last season. In 1997, after 36 games at Fitzroy, he found himself at North Melbourne, where he continued the renaissance shown at Fitzroy to become widely regarded as one of the competition's premier half backs. He played in the Kangaroos' losing grand final against Adelaide in 1998, and the following year was a member of the premiership team against Carlton. After 81 games with his third AFL club, Pike moved to Brisbane in 2001 where, in the Indian Summer of his career, he enjoyed participation in three successive grand final-winning teams. His best performance came in the 2003 defeat of Collingwood when he gathered 16 possessions on a wing in the Lions' emphatic 50 point win. Pike played in his sixth AFL grand final in 2004, but Brisbane lost to Port Adelaide. He carried on at the top level for one more season, bringing his total of games with the Lions to 106, and his final AFL tally to 247.

*Courtesy of John Devaney at www.fullpointsfooty.net

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