Brett Kirk

Brett Kirk is an AFL footballer who played for the Sydney Swans. A characteristic of Brett is that he is courageous. An example of this is during the 2005 preliminary final against St Kilda. He came off the field due to splitting his head and then returned to the field with bandages and stitches, this helped lift the teams enthusiasm helping them to win. Brett also shows determination when doing more than others. For example when he was given fitness to do he would do extra. When players were told to do 10 laps he would do 12 and would run on Christmas morning to be the player who was doing the work while the other 600 players in the competition would be behind.

Brett was born October 25, 1976 in Australia, Albury NSW. He is the older of two boys. On the field you would think that Brett has had the perfect life but as a child he had to go through many tough stages. One of the stages he had to deal with was being told that he was too small and too slow and that was heart breaking for Brett at the time, thinking that he would never be able to play AFL. The way Brett bounced back from this situation has really caught my eye and I hope that I can be the same.

Another heroic quality that I admire about Brett is that he is a hero to very sick children. He visits the Westmead Children's Hospital and helps kids that have cancer or other very sick illnesses to fight the sickness. Brett is also proud to be ambassador of the Redkit foundation which does not just help the children but it also helps the family.

On the field Brett was very strong, not just physically but also emotionally. He shows this on the field when he is physically exhausted and uses his emotions to get him through the match. This quality has been recognised with his winning: Bob Skilton Medal in 2005 and 2007 and getting Runners Up 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009, also the AFL most courageous player in 2006.

After writing this I am even more sure that Brett is deserving of being recognised for his heroic qualities and not just as a sportsman. The main things he has done to earn my respect are on the footy field and off with the charity work. These deeds prove that he has the qualities of a hero, including courage, determination and strong community spirit.