David Wirrpanda
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| Personal information | |
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| Birth | August 3, 1979 , |
| Recruited from | Healesville |
| Height and weight | 173cm / 99kg |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 5, April 27, 1996, West Coast Eagles vs. Carlton, at Princes Park |
| Team(s) | West Coast Eagles (1996-)
202 games, 108 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of Round 11, 2008 season | |
| Career highlights | |
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David Wirrpanda (born August 3, 1979, Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian rules footballer.
[edit] Football career
Debuting in 1995 at the age of just 16, it was tipped that Wirrpanda would become the next big thing in the AFL, and had the potential to become a superstar. Unfortunately, injuries hurt his career, and he managed only 12 AFL games in his first 3 seasons. During these early years he played 25 games for East Perth Football Club in the WAFL where he showed many glimpses of what he was capable of doing at a higher level.
However, by the mid-2000s Wirrpanda's career started to get back on track. After a solid year in 2004, he had a stellar 2005 season in which he won All-Australian selection, his clearances from defence being a vital part of the West Coast Eagles' success that year.
He continued to do well in 2006, reaching his 150th game with a stellar performance. His nicknames include 'The Janitor', for his ability to mop up the football in his backline, or 'Wirra' (although his surname is more correctly pronounced 'Wirry'). David nearly missed out on the 2006 grand final but came back from his injury. He took Jaymie Graham's place, and out of respect for the young player, Wirrpanda played in the Grand final with the number 22 written on his hand, which is the youngster Graham's guernsey number.
[edit] Personal life
For most of his career, Wirrpanda has been known as "Wirrpunda" or 'warrapunda' (his name is pronounced Wirrpunda), but in 2005 it was pointed out that his actual birth name was Wirrpanda. He had been trying to get this misspelling of his name changed for years, and finally his wish was granted. In the West Australian before the 2006 season Wirrpanda said that he had allowed his name to be misspelled to ensure it was pronounced correctly.
He is also known for his community work in helping to improve the lives of young indigenous Australians. The David Wirrpanda Foundation was launched in 2005. He was named the 9th most influential Aboriginal Australian by The Bulletin magazine on 30 November, 2007.[1]
[edit] External links
- David Wirrpanda profile on the Official AFL Website of the West Coast Eagles Football Club
- David Wirrpanda's statistics from AFL Tables
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