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