Tendai Mzungu

Tendai Mzungu
Personal information
Full name Tendai Mzungu
Date of birth 28 February 1986 (1986-02-28) (age 26)
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria
Original team Perth (WAFL)
Draft Pre-listed by Gold Coast
Traded for pick #38, 2010 AFL Draft, Fremantle
Height/Weight 183cm / 81kg
Position(s) Defender/Midfielder
Club information
Current club Fremantle
Number 13
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011– Fremantle 14 (11)
1 Playing statistics to end of 2011 season .

Tendai Mzungu (born 28 February 1986) is an Australian rules footballer for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).

Originally from the Trinity Aquinas Football Club, he made his WAFL league debut for Perth in 2006.[1] He played 72 games over 5 years, winning Perth's best and fairest award in 2010,[2] and polling 20 votes in the 2010 Sandover Medal.[3]

Fremantle obtained Mzungu in the Trade Week before the 2010 AFL Draft, trading their 39th selection to the new Gold Coast club, in return for Mzungu and the 44th selection,[2] after he was pre-listed by the Gold Coast[4] as part of the new club's entry concessions. Fremantle had originally intended to rookie list him, but decided to obtain him via a trade after his good form in the 2010 WAFL season.[3]

Mzungu performed well for Fremantle in the 2011 NAB Cup pre-season games and was tipped to replace the injured Roger Hayden in Fremantle's backline.[5] However, in Fremantle's final pre-season game he damaged his knee medial ligament[6] He returned to football 10 weeks later, be selected directly to the AFL, rather than for Perth in the WAFL.[7] His debut for Fremantle was in the Round 9 match at AAMI Stadium against Port Adelaide, which Fremantle won by 52 points. He was selected as the substitute player[8] and only played the final quarter, replacing Hayden Ballantyne who suffered from a corked thigh (quadriceps contusion).[9]

Nicknamed Muz, his father is Zimbabwean but he was born in Melbourne and moved to Western Australia at the age of nine.[3][10] His surname, Mzungu, means white person or foreigner in Swahili.[11]

References

  1. ^ WAFL profile. Waflonline.com.au (1986-02-28). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  2. ^ a b Dockers pick up Perth star. Heraldsun.com.au (2010-10-11). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  3. ^ a b c Rivals for Mzungu headed off at pass. Au.news.yahoo.com (2011-05-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  4. ^ Houli Richmond deal hits trouble. Theage.com.au (2010-10-11). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  5. ^ Pencil in Fremantle's Tendai Mzungu for half-back role. Heraldsun.com.au (2011-02-08). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  6. ^ Docker recruit Tendai Mzungu out for 10 weeks. News.com.au (2011-03-15). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  7. ^ Mzungu shocked to get Dockers call-up. Au.news.yahoo.com (2011-05-20). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  8. ^ Improved Dockers breeze past Port Adelaide. Perthnow.com.au (2011-05-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  9. ^ Sandilands hurt as Dockers crash Port. Au.news.yahoo.com (2011-05-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  10. ^ Denham, Greg (18 May 2011). "Dockers place rookie on call". The Australian. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62YUa47nY. Retrieved 2 June 2011. 
  11. ^ Take 5 – Tendai. None. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.

External links

Fremantle Football Club – current squad

* denote Rookie Listed players