Andrew McLeod
Encyclopedia
Andrew Luke McLeod is a former Australian rules footballer for the Adelaide Football Club. He is the games record holder for Adelaide, having played 340 games.
McLeod is considered one of the greatest Indigenous footballers of all time, one of the greatest of the modern era and is often considered by many as the greatest player of the Adelaide Football Club. Mcleod won two premierships for the Adelaide Football Club in 1997 and 1998. He was also awarded the Norm Smith Medal
for best on ground in the 1997 and 1998 AFL Premiership matches.
. His mother is Indigenous
(Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) while his father Jock McLeod is of Scottish
descent. Andrew McLeod played both rugby league
and Australian football as a junior. He played senior football with the Darwin Football Club
in the Northern Territory Football League
a club where his father has played over 200 games.
Moving from Darwin to Adelaide
in South Australia
McLeod played with the Port Adelaide Magpies
in the SANFL
in 1994 where he became known as an exciting young forward with electrifying pace. McLeod capped off a solid debut year for the Magpies with a Premiership medallion, bagging two goals in Port's 37-point win over Woodville-West Torrens in the 1994 SANFL Grand Final.
as part of their inaugural squad. However, Fremantle would later agree to exchange McLeod to the Adelaide Crows for promising forward Chris Groom
in what many now consider to be one of the most lopsided trades in Australian rules football history.
In an interview with Australian men's magazine Alpha in September 2005, McLeod would later reveal that he refused to play for Fremantle after feeling insulted and belittled by Fremantle coach Gerard Neesham
who had not actually seen him play before.
at Football Park, a confident McLeod began to emerge.
In the dying seconds of the game with Adelaide trailing by four points, McLeod raced into an open forward line while being hotly pursued by Hawk Ray Jencke
. Swooping onto the loose ball, he calmly laid it on his foot under pressure, dribbling it through for a miraculous goal from a tight angle at the Northern End of the ground to give his side a remarkable 2-point victory after they had trailed by 34 points at half-time. The Crows were able to avenge their worst ever home loss in history the year before (Round 9 1994 by 97 points to Hawthorn).
McLeod would later be named as an AFL rising star nominee late in the 1995 season after a string of consistent performances in a struggling Adelaide side which only managed a 9-13 record.
, legendary footballer Malcolm Blight
took over as coach of Adelaide. The Crows would begin the season slowly as they adjusted to Blight's long-kicking and direct style of football before claiming a finals berth for the first time since 1993.
In the preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs
, McLeod, who had been playing primarily as a forward or half-back flanker was placed into the midfield in the second half by Blight in an effort to spark the Crows side who trailed by 31 points at half-time. It would be the first time in McLeod's career that he would play in the middle and in a thrilling contest, McLeod and the Crows would win the match by two points to reach the Grand Final for the first time in the club's history.
In the Grand Final against St Kilda, McLeod would take his first significant step in his journey towards joining the game's elite. Accumulating 31 disposals, he was judged best on ground against the Saints, winning the prestigious Norm Smith Medal
while helping his team win the AFL premiership. This was followed shortly thereafter with a gold jacket when he was named as the Crows best and fairest for the 1997 season.
In a preliminary final rematch against the Bulldogs, McLeod would kick a career-high seven goals while being opposed to Tony Liberatore
who was reputed to be the most ferocious tagger in the game at the time. In the following game, against Grand Final favourites, the Kangaroos
, the Crows would win by 35 points with McLeod emulating his feats a year earlier. Gathering 30 disposals and winning back-to-back Norm Smith Medals, McLeod became the first player to win two Norm Smith Medals since Gary Ayres
in 1986 and 1988.
and runner up Scott West
.
to be recognised as the Most Valuable Player
in the league as voted by his peers in the AFL Players Association
as well as his second best and fairest award from the club.
McLeod, however would be denied the AFL's greatest individual honour in the 2001 Brownlow Medal
. Trailing by two votes in the last round to Jason Akermanis
of the Brisbane Lions
, many believed he would receive votes after amassing a best-afield 37 disposals against Fremantle in the final round. Instead, the umpires decided not to award McLeod with any votes for the game leaving him stunned as he looked on while the medal was presented to the flamboyant Akermanis. To this day it is considered by the majority of the South Australian football public to be one of the worst Brownlow voting decisions ever made; many remain adamant that the medal went home with the wrong player that night. Jason Akermanis said "I stole the Brownlow from Andrew McLeod" as McLeod was a raging favourite and won the majority of media awards for the year.
, McLeod made a return to the half-back line to provide his side with run and drive from defense using his sublime skills. In round 2 against Collingwood and the scores tied late in the game and the Crows desperately needing a win, McLeod kicked an unbelievable left-foot goal from the boundary line from about 35 m out to seal the deal. This win would be the Crows' first in six years against Collingwood and spur Adelaide to a minor premiership by the end (top spot after 22 rounds) of the season. McLeod polled 11 votes in the 2005 Brownlow Medal
.
In October, McLeod was named co-captain of the Australian International rules football
team against Ireland
. In what became a somewhat spiteful match, Australia would win comfortably while McLeod was named best player and awarded the Jim Stynes Medal.
After a year under Neil Craig's system, McLeod would return to some of his best form. Teaming with the younger Graham Johncock
at half-back, the duo would be part of a stingy Adelaide defense, regularly streaming from the back lines, evading opponents and delivering the ball with precision to teammates up the ground. His form would eventually lead to his 4th All-Australian selection.
Against the Essendon Football Club
in round 10, McLeod played his 250th game at AAMI Stadium
where he tallied 18 disposals while soaring for a spectacular mark in a 138-point demolition of the Bombers.
For much of the season, however, McLeod played with a bursa
in his left foot. After round 16, the decision was made for him to undergo surgery to remove the bursa, an operation expected to keep him out for a few weeks.
McLeod made a relatively earlier than expected return to the side in round 19. However, by round 21, after a disappointing loss to Port Adelaide
, his foot was heavily infected and the club announced that he would require further surgery along with the disappointing news that he would more than likely miss the rest of the season and Finals.
Despite rating himself just a "two out of ten" chance to return for the finals, McLeod made a surprise return to the side in the preliminary final against the West Coast Eagles
. After a promising first half, however, McLeod and the Crows were swamped by the West Coast midfield in the second half to eventually lose by ten points. McLeod kicked a superb boundary line goal from the southwest pocket which bought the crowd to its feet but it could not give Adelaide the momentum back. McLeod polled seven votes in the 2006 Brownlow Medal
.
. McLeod, the side's captain, kicked two goals to be his team's leading goal-kicker.
McLeod played most of 2007 again as a half-back flanker, sweeping up loose balls and creating his trademark run out of defense with his smooth skills. McLeod, however, was well held in his final game of the season, finishing with just 12 disposals after being heavily tagged by Hawthorn's Richard Vandenberg in Adelaide's elimination final loss to the Hawks.
Nevertheless, McLeod had a fine season. His average of 23.9 disposals was his highest since finishing runner-up for the Brownlow Medal in 2001. This was duly acknowledged when he was announced as a 2007 All-Australian on the half-back flank as well as captain of the 2007 All-Australian team. McLeod polled 15 votes in the 2007 Brownlow Medal
and won the club's Best and Fairest award.
.
On 23 August 2010, McLeod announced his retirement from AFL football.
Andew McLeod's retirement announcement:
Following his retirement he has been compared with Jason Akermanis
and Ben Cousins
as three greats of the AFL all retiring in 2010.
in the inaugural North East Australian Football League
season, and played a total of eight games for the Thunder, including the finals series. McLeod was a part of the Thunder's Northern Conference and NEAFL premiership teams.
had a much publicised dispute over the use of footage shot at Aboriginal sacred sites in a DVD Hewitt was to release.
McLeod is considered one of the greatest Indigenous footballers of all time, one of the greatest of the modern era and is often considered by many as the greatest player of the Adelaide Football Club. Mcleod won two premierships for the Adelaide Football Club in 1997 and 1998. He was also awarded the Norm Smith Medal
Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...
for best on ground in the 1997 and 1998 AFL Premiership matches.
Early life
McLeod was born 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...
. His mother is Indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
(Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) while his father Jock McLeod is of Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent. Andrew McLeod played both rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
and Australian football as a junior. He played senior football with the Darwin Football Club
Darwin Football Club
The Darwin Football Club, nicknamed, Buffaloes, is a member club of the Northern Territory Football League.-History:The club was formed in 1917.The Buffaloes won the 2005/06 NTFL Grand Final.Gilbert McAdam was coach for the 2006/07 season....
in the Northern Territory Football League
Northern Territory Football League
The Northern Territory Football League is an 8 team Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.The premier grade is the largest Australian rules football league in the Northern Territory...
a club where his father has played over 200 games.
Moving from Darwin 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...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
McLeod played with the Port Adelaide Magpies
Port Adelaide Magpies
The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the South Australian National Football League...
in the SANFL
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
in 1994 where he became known as an exciting young forward with electrifying pace. McLeod capped off a solid debut year for the Magpies with a Premiership medallion, bagging two goals in Port's 37-point win over Woodville-West Torrens in the 1994 SANFL Grand Final.
AFL career
In the 1994 offseason period McLeod was recruited by the newly established Fremantle Football ClubFremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
as part of their inaugural squad. However, Fremantle would later agree to exchange McLeod to the Adelaide Crows for promising forward Chris Groom
Chris Groom
Chris Groom is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League for the Adelaide, Fremantle and North Melbourne Football Clubs.-Career:...
in what many now consider to be one of the most lopsided trades in Australian rules football history.
In an interview with Australian men's magazine Alpha in September 2005, McLeod would later reveal that he refused to play for Fremantle after feeling insulted and belittled by Fremantle coach Gerard Neesham
Gerard Neesham
Gerard Neesham is a former Australian rules footballer in the WAFL and VFL as well as coach in the WAFL and AFL. Today he is chief executive of the Clontarf Foundation.-Playing career:...
who had not actually seen him play before.
1995
In his first year with the Adelaide Crows, McLeod began his AFL career quietly, appearing tentative and nervous during pre-season games. However, in a round 9 match against HawthornHawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
at Football Park, a confident McLeod began to emerge.
In the dying seconds of the game with Adelaide trailing by four points, McLeod raced into an open forward line while being hotly pursued by Hawk Ray Jencke
Ray Jencke
Ray Jencke, is a former Australian Rules footballer who played for Hawthorn Football Club. He debuted for the Hawks in 1986 but didn’t play a game until 1987. In 1991, Jencke played all 24 games, kicking a total of 5 goals...
. Swooping onto the loose ball, he calmly laid it on his foot under pressure, dribbling it through for a miraculous goal from a tight angle at the Northern End of the ground to give his side a remarkable 2-point victory after they had trailed by 34 points at half-time. The Crows were able to avenge their worst ever home loss in history the year before (Round 9 1994 by 97 points to Hawthorn).
McLeod would later be named as an AFL rising star nominee late in the 1995 season after a string of consistent performances in a struggling Adelaide side which only managed a 9-13 record.
1996
In his second season with the Adelaide Crows, McLeod played in 19 matches and kicked 20 goals.1997
After two tumultuous years under Robert ShawRobert Shaw (footballer)
Robert Shaw is a former Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club and coach in the VFL/AFL with the Fitzroy and Adelaide Football Clubs...
, legendary footballer Malcolm Blight
Malcolm Blight
Malcolm Jack Blight AM is a former champion Australian rules football player and coach, and current television commentator. During the 1970s and 1980s Blight played for the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League and the North Melbourne Football Club in the...
took over as coach of Adelaide. The Crows would begin the season slowly as they adjusted to Blight's long-kicking and direct style of football before claiming a finals berth for the first time since 1993.
In the preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
, McLeod, who had been playing primarily as a forward or half-back flanker was placed into the midfield in the second half by Blight in an effort to spark the Crows side who trailed by 31 points at half-time. It would be the first time in McLeod's career that he would play in the middle and in a thrilling contest, McLeod and the Crows would win the match by two points to reach the Grand Final for the first time in the club's history.
In the Grand Final against St Kilda, McLeod would take his first significant step in his journey towards joining the game's elite. Accumulating 31 disposals, he was judged best on ground against the Saints, winning the prestigious Norm Smith Medal
Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...
while helping his team win the AFL premiership. This was followed shortly thereafter with a gold jacket when he was named as the Crows best and fairest for the 1997 season.
1998
Having caught the eye of football followers with his magical feats in the 1997 finals, McLeod would continue to dazzle crowds with his pace and agility in 1998 before being named All-Australian for the season.In a preliminary final rematch against the Bulldogs, McLeod would kick a career-high seven goals while being opposed to Tony Liberatore
Tony Liberatore
Anthony "Tony" Liberatore is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Australian Football League ....
who was reputed to be the most ferocious tagger in the game at the time. In the following game, against Grand Final favourites, the Kangaroos
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
, the Crows would win by 35 points with McLeod emulating his feats a year earlier. Gathering 30 disposals and winning back-to-back Norm Smith Medals, McLeod became the first player to win two Norm Smith Medals since Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...
in 1986 and 1988.
2000
McLeod had an outstanding season averaging 24 disposals per game and kicking 28 goals. He made the All-Australian team and polled 20 Brownlow Medal votes finishing third behind Shane WoewodinShane Woewodin
Shane Woewodin was an Australian rules football player who played 200 games with the Melbourne and Collingwood Football Clubs. He was the recipient of the Brownlow Medal in 2000.-Early career:...
and runner up Scott West
Scott West
Scott West is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...
.
2001
McLeod had perhaps the finest season of his career in 2001, controversially being named runner-up in the Brownlow Medal Count. Having been made a permanent fixture in the Crows midfield by coach Gary Ayres, McLeod averaged a career-best 24.7 disposals. He would win the Leigh Matthews TrophyLeigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
to be recognised as the Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
in the league as voted by his peers in the AFL Players Association
AFL Players Association
The AFL Players Association, or AFLPA, is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League players....
as well as his second best and fairest award from the club.
McLeod, however would be denied the AFL's greatest individual honour in the 2001 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
. Trailing by two votes in the last round to Jason Akermanis
Jason Akermanis
Jason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...
of the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
, many believed he would receive votes after amassing a best-afield 37 disposals against Fremantle in the final round. Instead, the umpires decided not to award McLeod with any votes for the game leaving him stunned as he looked on while the medal was presented to the flamboyant Akermanis. To this day it is considered by the majority of the South Australian football public to be one of the worst Brownlow voting decisions ever made; many remain adamant that the medal went home with the wrong player that night. Jason Akermanis said "I stole the Brownlow from Andrew McLeod" as McLeod was a raging favourite and won the majority of media awards for the year.
2002 to 2004
Round 4 2002, McLeod was reported for the first and only time in his career for a late charge on Essendon's Matthew Lloyd. He received a one match ban for the incident.2005
In 2005, under coach Neil CraigNeil Craig
Neil P. Craig is a former Australian rules footballer, fitness adviser and former coach of the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League . As of 2012, he will be based in a new role as the Director of Sports Performance at the Melbourne Football Club...
, McLeod made a return to the half-back line to provide his side with run and drive from defense using his sublime skills. In round 2 against Collingwood and the scores tied late in the game and the Crows desperately needing a win, McLeod kicked an unbelievable left-foot goal from the boundary line from about 35 m out to seal the deal. This win would be the Crows' first in six years against Collingwood and spur Adelaide to a minor premiership by the end (top spot after 22 rounds) of the season. McLeod polled 11 votes in the 2005 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
.
In October, McLeod was named co-captain of the Australian International rules football
International rules football
International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players....
team against Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. In what became a somewhat spiteful match, Australia would win comfortably while McLeod was named best player and awarded the Jim Stynes Medal.
2006
Graham Johncock
Graham Johncock is an Australian rules football player with the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League.Graham is an indigenous Australian from near Port Lincoln in South Australia.-Career highlights:...
at half-back, the duo would be part of a stingy Adelaide defense, regularly streaming from the back lines, evading opponents and delivering the ball with precision to teammates up the ground. His form would eventually lead to his 4th All-Australian selection.
Against 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...
in round 10, McLeod played his 250th game at AAMI Stadium
AAMI Stadium
Football Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...
where he tallied 18 disposals while soaring for a spectacular mark in a 138-point demolition of the Bombers.
For much of the season, however, McLeod played with a bursa
Bursa (anatomy)
A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac lined by synovial membrane with an inner capillary layer of slimy fluid . It provides a cushion between bones and tendons and/or muscles around a joint. This helps to reduce friction between the bones and allows free movement...
in his left foot. After round 16, the decision was made for him to undergo surgery to remove the bursa, an operation expected to keep him out for a few weeks.
McLeod made a relatively earlier than expected return to the side in round 19. However, by round 21, after a disappointing loss to Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
, his foot was heavily infected and the club announced that he would require further surgery along with the disappointing news that he would more than likely miss the rest of the season and Finals.
Despite rating himself just a "two out of ten" chance to return for the finals, McLeod made a surprise return to the side in the preliminary final against the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
. After a promising first half, however, McLeod and the Crows were swamped by the West Coast midfield in the second half to eventually lose by ten points. McLeod kicked a superb boundary line goal from the southwest pocket which bought the crowd to its feet but it could not give Adelaide the momentum back. McLeod polled seven votes in the 2006 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
.
2007
Prior to the start of the AFL 2007 season, McLeod won the Polly Farmer Medal after being the best for the Indigenous All-Stars in a 50-point loss to EssendonEssendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. McLeod, the side's captain, kicked two goals to be his team's leading goal-kicker.
McLeod played most of 2007 again as a half-back flanker, sweeping up loose balls and creating his trademark run out of defense with his smooth skills. McLeod, however, was well held in his final game of the season, finishing with just 12 disposals after being heavily tagged by Hawthorn's Richard Vandenberg in Adelaide's elimination final loss to the Hawks.
Nevertheless, McLeod had a fine season. His average of 23.9 disposals was his highest since finishing runner-up for the Brownlow Medal in 2001. This was duly acknowledged when he was announced as a 2007 All-Australian on the half-back flank as well as captain of the 2007 All-Australian team. McLeod polled 15 votes in the 2007 Brownlow Medal
2007 Brownlow Medal
Round 2 Round 3 Round 4Round 5-Rounds 6–10:Round 6Round 7Round 8Round 9 Round 10-Rounds 11–15:Round 11Round 12 Round 13Round 14 Round 15-Rounds 16–20:...
and won the club's Best and Fairest award.
2008
Four weeks after returning from a stint on the sidelines due to knee surgery, McLeod celebrated his 300-game milestone with a 63-point victory over Richmond in round 19. Andrew McLeod is just the second Aboriginal player to reach 300 games. After the season's conclusion, however, McLeod's knee flared up again, forcing him to have surgery over the off-season.2009
On his return from injury, McLeod captained the Indigenous All-Stars in the 2009 pre-season. McLeod continued to perform consistently for the Crows, and in round 9 (fittingly, it was Indigenous Round), he played his 313th game, breaking the club games record held by former teammate and good friend Mark RicciutoMark Ricciuto
Mark Anthony Ricciuto is a former Australian rules football player, who played for the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League...
.
2010 final season and retirement
McLeod began the 2010 season healthy and in decent form. However in a round 11 match against Fremantle he re-injured his troubled right knee, ultimately keeping him sidelined for a month. He returned on 16 July 2010 in a round 16 match against Geelong in which Adelaide won by 11 points. This would ultimately be McLeod's last game of AFL football as his knee continued to have problems.On 23 August 2010, McLeod announced his retirement from AFL football.
Andew McLeod's retirement announcement:
Following his retirement he has been compared with Jason Akermanis
Jason Akermanis
Jason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...
and Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins
Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League ....
as three greats of the AFL all retiring in 2010.
2011
In 2011, McLeod signed a part-time contract with the Northern Territory Football ClubNorthern Territory Football Club
Northern Territory Football Club, nicknamed The Thunder, is a Northern Territory-based Australian rules football club competing in the NEAFL Australian Rules Football competition.-History:...
in the inaugural North East Australian Football League
North East Australian Football League
The North East Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia...
season, and played a total of eight games for the Thunder, including the finals series. McLeod was a part of the Thunder's Northern Conference and NEAFL premiership teams.
Achievements & Honours
- Team
- AFL Premiership Player with the Adelaide Football Club: 1997, 1998
- AFL Pre-Season Premiership (Wizard Home Loans Cup) with Adelaide Football Club: 2003
- AFL McClelland TrophyMcClelland TrophyThe McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy, currently awarded to the minor premiers in the Australian Football League each year...
With Adelaide Football club: 2005 - SANFL Premiership With Port Adelaide Magpies: 1994
- NEAFLNorth East Australian Football LeagueThe North East Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia...
Premiership with Northern Territory: 2011
- Individual
- AFL Rising Star: Nominee 1995
- Norm Smith MedalNorm Smith MedalThe Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...
: 1997, 1998 - Malcolm Blight MedalMalcolm Blight MedalThe Malcolm Blight Medal is a post-season award given to the best and fairest player in the Adelaide Crows Football Club. The medal was named after former Adelaide Crows coach, Malcolm Blight and was first awarded in 1991.-Recipients:-Multiple Recipients:...
(Adelaide Best & Fairest): 1997, 2001, 2007 - All-AustralianAll-Australian TeamThe All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007 (Captain) - AFL Players Association MVP Award (Leigh Matthews TrophyLeigh Matthews TrophyThe Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
): 2001 - Brownlow MedalBrownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
: Runner Up 2001, 3rd 2000 - Michael Tuck MedalMichael Tuck MedalSince 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final. It is named after Michael Tuck, the current AFL games record holder who played 426 senior matches for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1972 and 1991....
: 2003 - Indigenous Team of the CenturyIndigenous Team of the CenturyThe Indigenous Team of the Century was selected to recognise the role of Indigenous Australians in the sport. It was announced in 2005 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first senior game played by an indigenous player, Fitzroy's Joe Johnson...
: Ruck Rover - International Rules SeriesInternational Rules SeriesThe International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
: 2001, 2002, 2005 (Captain) - Jim Stynes Medal: 2005
- Showdown MedalShowdown MedalThe Showdown Medal is the medal awarded to the player adjudged best on ground in the Showdown AFL match between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. It is thus similar to the Ross Glendinning Medal awarded in Western Derby games....
: Rd 3, 2007 - Indigenous All-Stars Polly Farmer Medal: 2007
- Indigenous All-Stars team: 2003 (c), 2005, 2007 (c), 2009 (c)
- Dream TeamDream Team Australian rules football teamThe Dream Team was an AFL representative team created to take part in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match against a Victorian representative team....
2008 (Captain) - A Member of the List of AFL players to have played 300 games
- Adelaide Football Club Games record holder : 340 Games
Controversies
In 2005, Andrew and former friend tennis player Lleyton HewittLleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
had a much publicised dispute over the use of footage shot at Aboriginal sacred sites in a DVD Hewitt was to release.