Ranga Ediriwickrama

Ranga Ediriwickrama
Personal information
Full nameRanga Ediriwickrama
Date of birth10 August 1990[1]
Place of birthGriffith, New South Wales[2]
Original teamPennant Hills (NSW)
Draft60th overall, 2008 Rookie[3]
Height/Weight178cm / 79 kg[1]
Position(s)Midfield[1]
Club information
Current clubGeelong
Number42[1]
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2009–2010Geelong0 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to end of 2008 season.
Career highlights

Representative Honours

  • All Australian U18 (2008)
  • NSW-ACT Under 18 representative (2007–2008), captain (2008)[1]

Ranga Ediriwickrama is a former rookie listed Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was a midfielder who was recruited to the club under the New South Wales scholarship program before being delisted at the end of 2010.[4]

Early life

Ediriwickrama was born in Griffith and moved to the Sydney suburb of Pennant Hills[5] when he was three[2] with his parents, who were born in Sri Lanka.[5] He played soccer until he was twelve, then switched to Australian Rules, winning three premierships with Westbrook JAFC.[6]

Playing career

Ediriwickrama played for the NSW/ACT Rams in 2007 and 2008,[1] and captained the team to fourth place in 2008.[2] He was also called up for two reserves games for the Sydney Swans in 2007,[6] and won a premiership with Pennant Hills in the New South Wales Premier league in 2008.[1]

After "dominating"[7] the Under 16 carnival, Ediriwickrama was selected by Geelong in June 2007[7] under the New South Wales scholarship program, an initiative to promote Australian Rules in New South Wales.[8] Under this scheme Geelong used their last pick in the 2008 rookie draft to recruit him.[9] Until gaining the scholarship his main interest had been cricket[6] He could have nominated for the senior draft but chose not to, and allow Geelong to draft him,.[5]

According to Geelong's recruiting manager Stephen Wells he has excellent speed and ball handling skills, needed to work on his kicking, and that he has a great desire to improve.[7] If he played a senior game he would have become the first AFL player of Sri Lankan descent.[2] He was delisted at the end of 2010 after failing to play a senior game

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Player Profile". Geelong Football Club. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Wilson, Chris (20 July 2008), "Sri Lankan youngster set for draft", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 25 February 2009
  3. "Rookie Draft", Courier Mail, 15 December 2008, retrieved 25 February 2009
  4. "Cats delist Gamble & Ediriwickrama". Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cresswell, Joel (19 November 2008), "Commentators beware, here comes Ranga Ediriwickrama", Geelong Advertiser, retrieved 25 February 2009
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Shields, Jason (10 May 2007), "Cats sign up NSW rookie", Geelong Advertiser, retrieved 25 February 2009
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Edmund, Sam (16 May 2008), "Geelong Cats study Ranga management", Herald Sun, retrieved 25 February 2009
  8. Green, Bradley (8 May 2008), "Geelong Football Club scholarship holder to lead state side", Geelong Advertiser, retrieved 25 February 2009
  9. Broad, Ben; Pace, Richie (16 December 2008), Cat downsize in rookie draft, Geelong Football Club, retrieved 27 February 2009