Leo Barry

From The UCSC Wikipedia Trust Project

**Leo Barry**
Personal Info
Birth	May 19, 1977, Deniliquin, New South Wales
Recruited from	Deniliquin (NSW)
Height/Weight	184cm / 88kg
Playing Career¹
Debut	Round 22, September 3, 1995, Sydney vs. Collingwood, at SCG
Team(s)	Sydney (1995-) 194 games, 50 goals
¹ Statistics to end of SF, 2006 season
Career Highlights
International Rules 2003 All-Australian 2004, 2005 Premiership player 2005

Leo Barry (born May 19, 1977) is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL with the Sydney Swans.

Originally from Deniliquin, New South Wales, he attended St Ignatius' College, Riverview before being drafted as a zone selection in the 1994 National Draft and making his debut in the final round of the 1995 season against Collingwood. For the next few seasons he played in the forward line without consistency, struggling to find a place in an already strong forward line. He did, however, display an ability to take spectacular jumping marks, earning him the nickname "Leaping Leo".

In 2001, Swans coach Rodney Eade moved him to the backline, where he prospered. Despite being short for a fullback at 184cm, he has successfully played on much taller opponents, making use of his leaping skills and using his body well. Current coach Paul Roos rates him as one of the best defenders in the AFL, an assessment backed up by his inclusion in the All Australian Team in 2004 and 2005.

In 2005 Barry had the embarrassing honour of playing on St. Kilda full-forward Fraser Gehrig, conceding seven goals. This led to media labelling the Swans as "ugly" and "unattractive".

"The Mark"

Barry's backline heroics were instrumental to the Swans success which culminated with one of Barry's trademark spectacular marks during the 2005 AFL Grand Final between Sydney and West Coast. After a kick from Dean Cox was sent into the forward line, Barry marked in a big pack within the dying seconds of the game to secure the Swans' long-awaited premiership.

This image was later used by Tabcorp for promotional purposes, with Barry claiming that the image was "worth AUD$50,000", ^[1] despite other players being featured in the photo.