John Barnes

John Barnes (born 1 June 1969) is an Australian politician and former Australian rules footballer who currently serves as the councillor for Buckley Ward on the City of Moonee Valley. He previously played for the Essendon Football Club and the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Football career Barnes' VFL/AFL career included two State of Origin games for Victoria.

Early career – from Essendon to Geelong The young Barnes was a ruckman/forward recruited by Essendon in 1986 from Cobram, Victoria. He was traded after five seasons with Windy Hill to the Geelong Football Club for Sean Denham. Under the coaching of Malcolm Blight and later Gary Ayres he would go on to feature prominently in the losing 1994 and 1995 Grand Final sides. During a Round 5 encounter at Princes Park against Carlton in 1997, after a marking duel, Barnes landed awkwardly on his left elbow, dislocating it and sidelining him for ten weeks. Barnes was delisted by the club in 1999. He had played a total of 144 games with 65 goals with the Cats.

Return to Essendon It was Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, however, who tempted Barnes back to Windy Hill, and he was selected at number #59 in the 1999 AFL draft. A shortage of ruckmen at the club led Sheedy to reacquaint Barnes with his former club. A season later, after a defeat to Brisbane in the 2001 Grand Final, Barnes retired. He had totalled 58 games and 25 goals with the Bombers during his original tenure and return to the club.

Post-playing career Barnes was a runner for Essendon and was fined by the AFL for spending too long on the ground, before he was controversially suspended for two matches by the AFL for interfering with play during the 2005 season.

In 2004, he played for the East Keilor Football Club in the Essendon District Football League. He participated in the 2006 AFL Legends Match, playing for Victoria. Barnes became the ruck coach for the Western Bulldogs in the 2008 season.

In 2009, he was appointed as coach of the Doutta Stars Football Club in the Essendon District Football League.

He also had a stint as the ruck coach for the Collingwood Football Club, but left that role and 'got completely out of footy' to become, as of 2015, a garbage collector in suburban Melbourne.

Political career Barnes contested Buckley Ward on the City of Moonee Valley at the 2024 Victorian local government elections as an Independent Liberal Party candidate. He was elected with 26.60% of first preferences and 57.05% of the two-candidate-preferred vote.

In August 2026, Barnes was announced as a One Nation candidate for the Electoral district of Essendon at the 2026 Victorian state election.

Health and personal life

Barnes suffers from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)—an acquired brain injury from repeated concussions—and post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), both related to repeated head knocks received on the football field. These conditions have led Barnes to be unable to do everyday tasks like cooking and driving, led to diminished memory and cognitive ability, and made him prone to sudden mood swings and outbursts.

Statistics

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