| David Rodan | |||
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David Rodan during the 2007 AFL Season |
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | David Rodan | ||
| Date of birth | 8 October 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Fiji | ||
| Original team | Calder Cannons (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | #33, 2001 National Draft, Richmond #86, 2006 National Draft, Port Adelaide |
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| Height/Weight | 173cm / 87kg | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Port Adelaide | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2002–2006 2007– Total |
Richmond Port Adelaide |
65 (43) 101 (84) 166 (127) |
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| International team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2008 | Australia | 2 | |
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1 Playing statistics to end of 2011 season .
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David Rodan (born 8 October 1983) is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club.
Rodan is the first Fijian-born player to reach 100 AFL games.[1]
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David Rodan was born in Fiji and grew up in the town of Lami[2] near Suva and is also of Tongan heritage. At three years old he moved to Australia with his parents.[3] His father wanted him to play rugby union, but there were no rugby clubs for juniors in his area. Instead, he tried Aussie Rules, beginning junior football with Oak Park and the Holy Child Football Club in Broadmeadows, and he developed a passion for the sport.[4]
Rodan rose through the junior ranks until dominating in the TAC Cup competition, winning back to back Morrish Medals (2000 and 2001).
Rodan was recruited by AFL club Richmond Tigers at the end of 2001 at pick 33. He played every game for two years (from his debut in 2002), and was nominated for the AFL Rising Star award in his debut season and kicked 17 goals of which three were nominated for the Goal of the Year award.
Playing for Richmond, he played as a small crumbing forward along with Andrew Krakouer in the early part of his career.
He became an Australian citizen in September 2002 in order to get a passport to travel to London, England to participate in an Australian Football Exhibition Match against Essendon as his Fijian passport had expired.[5]
After the retirement of Matthew Knights, Rodan shifted into the midfield.
He did not participate in the 2005 regular season due to a severe knee injury. Rodan made a return to league football in 2006, but was delisted at the end of the season, first hearing of his sacking at the club's best and fairest function via an impromptu speech from captain Kane Johnson.[6]
Rodan was given a career lifeline when he was drafted by Port Adelaide with the final selection of the 2006 AFL draft.
Rodan did not miss a game in the 2007 season, including the 2007 AFL Grand Final. He received six Brownlow Medal votes at the 2007 medal count including a best on ground 3 votes for his round 12 performance, putting him in the top 60 players in the competition.
Rodan ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in a training injury in December 2009 and was expected to miss the entire 2010 season.[7] However, following ligament augmentation and reconstruction surgery, which replaced the torn ligament with one made of polyester fibres, Rodan was able to play in round six, 2010.[8]
Rodan has expressed his desire to see Australian rules football in Fiji succeed, and is an ambassador for Aussie Rules Pacific.
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