| Michael Gardiner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Michael S. Gardiner | ||
| Date of birth | 5 July 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Albany, Western Australia | ||
| Original team | Claremont (WAFL) | ||
| Draft | #1, 1996 National Draft, West Coast | ||
| Height/Weight | 199cm / 105 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Ruckman | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1997–2006 2007–2011 Total |
West Coast St Kilda |
129 (87) 52 (23) 181 (110) |
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1 Playing statistics to end of 2011 season .
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| Career highlights | |||
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Michael S. Gardiner (born 5 July 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. He played for the West Coast Eagles from 1997–2006 and the St Kilda Football Club from 2007–2011.
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Gardiner was born in Albany, Western Australia, and played junior football for the Royals Football Club[1] before heading to Perth Western Australia to play for Claremont Football Club in the WAFL.
Gardiner was the number 1 draft pick in the 1996 National Draft.
Gardiner debuted in 1997 at only 17 years of age.
There were big wraps on Gardiner as an emerging ruckman/forward. He did not disappoint, winning a Rising Star nomination in 1997 and All Australian selection in 2003. However, he was then limited by chronic knee injuries, and played 18 games in the next three seasons with the Eagles with Dean Cox becoming the leading ruckman in the AFL competition.
In May 2005, Gardiner and then West Coast team mate Ben Cousins were criticised for involvement with a group of alleged Perth underworld figures. According to allegations the two Eagles players received phone calls from gangland figures both before and after a stabbing and shooting at the Metro City nightclub. Police questioned Cousins and Gardiner about the incident but they refused to aid the inquiries. The club told the pair that they were on their "last warning" and that their off field behaviour would not be tolerated.[2]
Gardiner's off field lifestyle was often seen as detrimental to the West Coast playing group and, in February 2006, in the midst of the Ben Cousins booze bus incident, he was dropped to the Western Australian Football League side Claremont indefinitely on grounds of poor performance and poor off field behaviour.
On 18 July 2006, Gardiner's playing contract was suspended indefinitely and he was fined $5,000[3] following his involvement in a traffic accident in the Perth suburb of Scarborough. While he escaped the accident with only minor injuries, West Coast Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett said that it was highly unlikely the club would renew his contract at the end of the year.
After the 2006 season, the Eagles traded Gardiner to St Kilda with a swap of third round draft picks (No. 43 for No. 59).
Gardiner played in St Kilda’s 2008 NAB Cup winning side – St Kilda’s third pre-season cup win.[4][5]
One of the highlights for Gardiner was in Round 14 when the Saints met Geelong at Docklands Stadium. Gardiner kicked four goals, including one after a pack mark which became the match winner with about 30 seconds remaining.
Gardiner played in 16 of 22 matches in the 2009 home and away rounds in which St Kilda qualified in first position for the finals series, winning the club’s third minor premiership.[6]
St Kilda qualified for the 2009 AFL Grand Final after qualifying and preliminary finals wins. Gardiner played in the grand final in which St Kilda were defeated by 12 points.
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