Alwyn Davey
Encyclopedia
Alwyn Davey is a professional Australian rules football
er who currently plays for the Essendon Football Club
of the Australian Football League
.
.
Alwyn played his junior football in Darwin. His father died when he was eight years old.
He moved to Adelaide
to play football semi-professionally with South Adelaide
in the SANFL.
Davey first attracted the attention of talent scouts after the impressive first and second seasons of his brother Aaron
for the Melbourne Demons.
In the 2006 pre-season, Alwyn was invited to train with his brother at the Demons, and many believed that the club would take a chance on him. The Demons already had a crumbing forward in Aaron and many clubs were averse to drafting short players. Furthermore, by the time of the draft, Alwyn had turned 22. Most draftees are taken at just 18, making him considered old for the national draft. Most therefore had picked Alwyn Davey to be taken by Melbourne as with a rookie selection.
Kevin Sheedy had become particularly interested in the progress of Aaron Davey and since the success of Andrew Lovett
, fast indigenous players in general. Davey was drafted by the Bombers in the 3rd round of the 2006 AFL Draft
.
, making an immediate impression and played in every game until Round 14.
He has featured several times amongst the Bombers' best including an outstanding ANZAC Day match
. In his first 5 AFL matches he got an incredible 5 goal of the year nominations including 2 on ANZAC Day.
Davey became known for his explosive speed. He has been known to take 2.75 secs to run from 0–20 metres. This is thought to be the fastest in the league, even more than speedster Chris Judd
. From debut, Davey became one of the shortest players in the AFL.
He quickly earned a cult following at Essendon, gaining the nickname is "Froggy", due to his appearance.
During the round 14 game against Geelong, he suffered a broken arm when crashed into while on the ground by Kane Tenace
. The injury forced Davey to miss the rest of the season, and Essendon's form slumped during the period that he was on the sidelines, eventually missing the finals.
At the end of the 2007 AFL season, Alwyn won the AFL Army Award
, recognising players who produce act(s) of bravery or selflessness to promote the cause of his team, during a game for his smother and 2nd and 3rd efforts against Hawthorn in round 6. He had 3 of the final 6 nominations in the award.
when changing direction, requiring immediate surgery and making him unavailable for the rest of the season because this would require him to miss between 6 and 12 months. Despite the injury, Davey continued to train but coach Matthew Knights
did not risk him.
are cousins of Brownlow medallist Gavin Wanganeen
. Alwyn was named after his father.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who currently plays for the Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
of the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
.
Early life
Davey is of Indigenous Australian descent with tribal ancestry that can be traced to the Kokatha in South Australia Alwyn was born to mother Lizzie, named after father Alwyn Davey and raised in Darwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
.
Alwyn played his junior football in Darwin. His father died when he was eight years old.
He moved to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
to play football semi-professionally with South Adelaide
South Adelaide Football Club
South Adelaide Football Club competes in the South Australian National Football League . Known as the Panthers, their home ground is Hickinbotham Oval , located in Noarlunga Downs in the southern suburbs of Adelaide....
in the SANFL.
Davey first attracted the attention of talent scouts after the impressive first and second seasons of his brother Aaron
Aaron Davey
Aaron Davey is a professional Australian rules football player of Indigenous Australian heritage. He currently plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
for the Melbourne Demons.
In the 2006 pre-season, Alwyn was invited to train with his brother at the Demons, and many believed that the club would take a chance on him. The Demons already had a crumbing forward in Aaron and many clubs were averse to drafting short players. Furthermore, by the time of the draft, Alwyn had turned 22. Most draftees are taken at just 18, making him considered old for the national draft. Most therefore had picked Alwyn Davey to be taken by Melbourne as with a rookie selection.
Kevin Sheedy had become particularly interested in the progress of Aaron Davey and since the success of Andrew Lovett
Andrew Lovett
Andrew Lovett is an Aboriginal Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League for Essendon between 2005 and 2009...
, fast indigenous players in general. Davey was drafted by the Bombers in the 3rd round of the 2006 AFL Draft
2006 AFL Draft
The 2006 AFL Draft is a recent national draft of the Australian Football League. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League....
.
2007
Alwyn made his AFL debut in the opening round of the 2007 season2007 AFL season
The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia...
, making an immediate impression and played in every game until Round 14.
He has featured several times amongst the Bombers' best including an outstanding ANZAC Day match
The ANZAC Day clash
The Anzac Day clash is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League teams Collingwood and Essendon, held on Anzac Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground .-Early history of Australian rules on Anzac Day:...
. In his first 5 AFL matches he got an incredible 5 goal of the year nominations including 2 on ANZAC Day.
Davey became known for his explosive speed. He has been known to take 2.75 secs to run from 0–20 metres. This is thought to be the fastest in the league, even more than speedster Chris Judd
Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
. From debut, Davey became one of the shortest players in the AFL.
He quickly earned a cult following at Essendon, gaining the nickname is "Froggy", due to his appearance.
During the round 14 game against Geelong, he suffered a broken arm when crashed into while on the ground by Kane Tenace
Kane Tenace
Kane Tenace is an Australian rules footballer who used to play for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Draft:...
. The injury forced Davey to miss the rest of the season, and Essendon's form slumped during the period that he was on the sidelines, eventually missing the finals.
At the end of the 2007 AFL season, Alwyn won the AFL Army Award
AFL Army Award
From 2007 until 2009 the Australian Football League produced the AFL Army Award to recognise players who produced significant acts of bravery or selflessness to promote the cause of their team during a game...
, recognising players who produce act(s) of bravery or selflessness to promote the cause of his team, during a game for his smother and 2nd and 3rd efforts against Hawthorn in round 6. He had 3 of the final 6 nominations in the award.
2008
While running at training after round 4 in 2008, Davey twisted and injured his right kneeAnterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
when changing direction, requiring immediate surgery and making him unavailable for the rest of the season because this would require him to miss between 6 and 12 months. Despite the injury, Davey continued to train but coach Matthew Knights
Matthew Knights
Matthew Knights is a former Australian rules football player, having played in the midfield for the Richmond Football Club from 1988 to 2002. He went on to a coaching career, most notably as head coach of the Essendon Football Club from 2008 to 2010...
did not risk him.
2009
In 2009, his defensive pressure in the forward line has been a welcome return to the Essendon squad, currently leading the tackle count.Personal life
Both Alwyn and Aaron DaveyAaron Davey
Aaron Davey is a professional Australian rules football player of Indigenous Australian heritage. He currently plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
are cousins of Brownlow medallist Gavin Wanganeen
Gavin Wanganeen
Gavin Adrian Wanganeen is a retired Australian rules footballer, playing in two Australian Football League premierships with Essendon and Port Adelaide. Wanganeen is a Brownlow Medallist and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever...
. Alwyn was named after his father.
Statistics
- Statistics are correct as of end of 2008 season (27 September 2008)
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Goals | Behinds | Kicks | Marks Mark (Australian football) A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground.... |
Handballs Handball (Australian rules football) Handball is a term in the sport of Australian rules football which describes a method of disposing of possession of the football by hand. It is the most frequently used alternative to kicking the ball... |
Disposals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 2007 AFL season The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia... |
Essendon | 29 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 94 | 46 | 67 | 161 |
| 2008 2008 AFL season -Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6 :-Round 7:-AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match:-Round 8:... |
Essendon | 29 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 10 | 38 | 71 |
| Totals | 19 | 20 | 11 | 127 | 56 | 105 | 232 | ||