Hayden Skipworth
Encyclopedia
Hayden Skipworth was an Australian rules footballer
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...

 with 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...

. After playing 44 games over six years for the Adelaide Crows he was delisted in 2006. He then played in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...

 with Bendigo Bombers
Bendigo Bombers
The Bendigo Bombers Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia playing in the Victorian Football League .-Brief history:...

 during 2007 and 2008 and was drafted by Essendon in the 2008 Pre-season Draft
2007 AFL Draft
The 2007 AFL Draft consisted of four opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2007/08 Australian Football League off-season. These were trade week, the National Draft, the Pre-Season Draft and the Rookie Draft.- Trades :...

.

Originally from the Yorke Peninsula (Arthurton) and played with the Central Yorke (CY) Cougars.

The midfielder-small forward was drafted 53rd overall by the Crows from the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles
Woodville-West Torrens Football Club
Woodville-West Torrens Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing in the South Australian National Football League . It was formed in 1990 from an amalgamation of the neighbouring Woodville and West Torrens football clubs and played its inaugural game in 1991...

 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 the 2000 AFL Draft
2000 AFL Draft
The 2000 AFL Draft was the annual draft of talented Australian rules football players by teams that participate in the Australian Football League. It consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation....

. He made his AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 debut in round 1 of the 2001 season against the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...

 at the SCG, before playing another four matches that year and kicking one goal. Skipworth was de-listed at the end of the 2002 season after failing to add to his overall matches tally, before being picked up by the Crows again for the 2003 season via the rookie draft (pick number 13 overall). Skipworth was elevated to the senior list again midway through that season after WWTFC and Crows team-mate Andrew Crowell sustained a serious knee injury and was placed on the club's long-term injury list.

Skipworth had his best AFL season in 2005
2005 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2005.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...

, in which he played 21 matches, including three finals matches (against St Kilda, Port Adelaide and West Coast) and scored 12 goals. His stand-out performance of the 2005 season came in Round 6 against the Kangaroos at AAMI Stadium, when he kicked four goals (including three within the space of five minutes in the second quarter) and finally the victory-sealing goal late in the final quarter) and had 20 possessions in a match-winning effort. At the 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...

 count later that year he received three votes for a best-on-ground performance, taking his career tally to six votes overall (previously Skipworth had received three votes in Round 18 of the 2004 season, also against the Kangaroos at AAMI Stadium).

Skipworth spent most of the 2006
2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...

 season with the SANFL side Woodville-West Torrens. He was the recipient of the Jack Oatey Medal as the best player in the SANFL Grand Final. He was later de-listed by the Crows at the end of the season whilst on holiday in the United States.

During his time at the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles, Skipworth was involved in a premiership team across all grades (Under-17, Under-19, Reserves, and finally League). He was selected to join the AIS Academy in 2000, also representing Australia at Under-18's level in an International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The 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...

 that year. In 2003, he was named in The Advertiser SANFL team of the year. He is also a talented basketball player, making State Under-18 level before deciding to pursue football. He took part in a celebrity basketball match in early 2005, along with radio station Mix 102.3
MIX 102.3
Mix 102.3 is a commercial radio station in Adelaide, Australia, owned by The Australian Radio Network .Mix 102.3 plays current hits and a variety of 70s, 80s and 90s music , primarily targeted at the 25-54 age group, the group most valued by advertisers...

's Kym Dillon and Ali Carle, along with McLeod's Daughters
McLeod's Daughters
McLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm...

 star Michala Banas
Michala Banas
Michala Elizabeth Laurinda Banas is a New Zealand television actress, and singer now living in Australia.-Career:Born in Wellington, New Zealand, she starred in her first commercial at only 18 months of age....

, among others.

April 2007: Ruptured the patella tendon in his knee after landing awkwardly after a marking contest during the first quarter of the Bendigo Bombers
Bendigo Bombers
The Bendigo Bombers Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia playing in the Victorian Football League .-Brief history:...

' loss to Port Melbourne at TEAC Oval
TEAC Oval
TEAC Oval, also known as North Port Oval and previously as the Port Melbourne Cricket and Recreation Reserve, is an Australian rules football and cricket stadium located in Port Melbourne, Australia. The capacity of the venue is 12,000 people...

. Recovery time at least 12 to 16 weeks and possibly up to six months. Had been named in the Bombers' best players in both matches he had played so far, after missing the first round with an ankle injury.

On 16 December 2008 he was picked by Essendon in the pre-season draft. There was much criticism following his recruitment to Essendon, however his debut so far has been consistent.

14 October 2009: After adding only 11 games in his first year with his new club, Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

, Skipworth announced his retirement. He cited constant injuries as the reason.

On 27 October 2010, it was announced that Skipworth would take up a full-time role at Essendon as a development coach but this did not eventuate. In the interim, Skipworth has signed on to play with team mate Damien Peverill
Damien Peverill
Damien Peverill is an Australian rules footballer who played 144 senior games with Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League between 2001 and 2008...

 at Aberfeldie Football Club
Aberfeldie Football Club
Aberfeldie Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 9 km north-west of Melbourne in the suburb of Aberfeldie which entered the Essendon District Football League in 1948....

 in the Essendon District Football League
Essendon District Football League
The Essendon District Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, which was established in 1930.The EDFL consists of 24 senior clubs, 10 clubs in A Grade and 14 clubs in B Grade...

in season 2011.

External links

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