Matt Priddis

Matt Priddis
Personal information
Full name Matthew Harley Priddis
Date of birth (1985-03-21) 21 March 1985
Original team(s) Subiaco, Sorrento-Duncraig JFC
Draft 31st overall, 2006 Rookie Draft
Height / weight 185 cm / 86 kg
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club West Coast
Number 11
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2006– West Coast 219 (67)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2004–2005 Western Australia 2 (3)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2005.
Career highlights

Matthew Harley "Matt" Priddis (born 21 March 1985) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Prior to being drafted, Priddis won two premierships with the Subiaco Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and also won the 2006 Sandover Medal as the league's best player. An inside midfielder, he debuted for West Coast during the 2006 season, becoming a regular in the team the following season. Priddis won the John Worsfold Medal as West Coast's best and fairest player at the end of the 2013 season, having previously been runner-up in the award in 2010 and 2011.

An acting co-captain of the club during the 2014 season, following Darren Glass's retirement, Priddis was awarded the Brownlow Medal as the competition's best and fairest player at the end of the season.

Early career

Priddis was raised in Manjimup, a country town in Western Australia's south-west region, but moved to Perth, the state's capital, as a teenager, playing at junior level for Sorrento–Duncraig.[1] He represented Western Australia at both under-16 and under-18 level,[2] and made his senior debut for Subiaco in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) in 2003, playing two games early in the season.[3] Priddis became a regular in Subiaco's senior side during the 2004 season. He played 21 games, including Subiaco's win over Claremont in the grand final, and was named the WAFL's Rising Star at the end of the season.[4] At the end of the season, he was offered a well-paid contract in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), but turned it down on the advice of Subiaco's coach, Peter German.[2] During the 2005 season, Priddis won Subiaco's best and fairest award, the Tom Outridge Medal, as well as winning the Simpson Medal as Western Australia's best player in the state game against Queensland.[3] He was subsequently selected by West Coast with the 31st pick in the 2006 Rookie Draft (held at the end of the 2005 season). He had been overlooked at three previous national drafts.[5]

AFL career

Priddis made his AFL debut for West Coast midway through the 2006 season, aged 21, recording 19 disposals and five tackles against Geelong. He played one further AFL game during the season, against Port Adelaide, spending the remainder of the season in the WAFL.[6] Priddis averaged over 31 disposals per game at WAFL level, playing in a second premiership for Subiaco, and at the end of the season won the Sandover Medal with 58 votes, a competition record (since equalled by Kane Mitchell in 2012).[3]

Having been upgraded to West Coast's senior list for the 2007 season, Priddis reached a career high 45 disposals, 30 handballs, 15 kicks, 5 marks and 3 tackles in round 14, 2008 against Hawthorn. His 30 handpasses was then the highest tally ever recorded (recorded since 1987), until Gary Ablett, Jr. broke the record the following season.[7] During the 2013 season, Priddis played his 150th game for West Coast, becoming a life member of the club. At the end of the season, he was awarded West Coast's best and fairest award, the newly named John Worsfold Medal.[8] He had finished second in the award on two previous occasions, in 2010 and 2011.[9]

After Darren Glass retired midway through the 2014 season, Priddis was named acting co-captain of the club for the remainder of the season, along with four other players. He had been a member of the club's leadership group since the 2009 season.[10] He finished the home-and-away-season ranked first in disposals, second in contested possessions, and third in tackles. Priddis was awarded the Brownlow Medal as the AFL's best and fairest player at the end of the season. Polling 26 votes, Priddis became the third West Coast player to win the award, and the second person, after Haydn Bunton, Sr., to win both a Brownlow Medal and a Sandover Medal. He also became the first player who began his career on the rookie list to win the award.[11] Priddis' best previous finish came in the 2011 Brownlow Medal, when he finished equal seventh, with 19 votes.[12]

Playing style

Known for his "unusually strong legs and hips",[2] as well as his "thirst for hard work" and "football smarts",[13] Priddis is regarded as a specialist at stoppages, and "one of the league's most reliable workhorses".[14] He generally plays as an inside midfielder, and led the AFL in average handballs in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and in total handballs in 2011, with high rankings in clearances and contested possessions as well. Priddis is also known for his tackling ability, having averaged more than five tackles per game in all but his first season.[15] His figure of 193 tackles for the 2011 season has only been beaten by teammate Scott Selwood (202 during the same year) since tackles were first recorded in 1987, while his 18 tackles against Richmond during the 2014 season has only been beaten by Sydney's Jude Bolton (19 tackles against West Coast in 2011).[16]

Statistics

Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2014 season.[17]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Led the league for the season only
Season Team # Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
2006 West Coast 45 2 0 0 19 12 31 6 9 0.0 0.0 9.5 6.0 15.5 3.0 4.5
2007 West Coast 11 24 11 4 305 260 565 73 128 0.5 0.2 12.7 10.8 23.5 3.0 5.3
2008 West Coast 11 18 2 9 202 228 430 44 103 0.1 0.5 11.2 12.7 23.9 2.4 5.7
2009 West Coast 11 20 6 8 200 309 509 55 127 0.3 0.4 10.0 15.5 25.5 2.8 6.4
2010 West Coast 11 19 4 5 152 336 488 36 130 0.2 0.3 8.0 17.7 25.7 1.9 6.8
2011 West Coast 11 25 9 5 276 386 662 76 193 0.4 0.2 11.0 15.4 26.5 3.0 7.7
2012 West Coast 11 22 8 3 196 379 575 60 122 0.4 0.1 8.9 17.2 26.1 2.7 5.5
2013 West Coast 11 21 6 5 221 344 565 49 129 0.3 0.2 10.5 16.4 26.9 2.3 6.1
2014 West Coast 11 22 10 8 261 366 627 56 161 0.5 0.4 11.9 16.6 28.5 2.5 7.3
Career 173 56 47 1832 2620 4452 455 1102 0.3 0.3 10.6 15.1 25.7 2.6 6.4

Honours and achievements

Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
2006 —
2007 9
2008 5
2009 7
2010 13
2011 19
2012 9
2013 13
2014 26
2015 28
Total 129
Key:
Green / Bold = Won
* = joint winner
Red / Italics = Ineligible

AFL

WAFL

Personal life

Priddis and his wife, Ashleigh, a schoolteacher, married in 2009, and their first child, Nala May, was born in 2012.[18][19] Prior to being drafted into the AFL, he worked as a tiler,[2] and was also involved in surf lifesaving.[20] Priddis is distinguished on the football field by his "distinctive shock of curly hair".[21][22][23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alex Malcolm (30 November 2013). "Priddis pays credit to 'idol' Worsfold" – AFL.com.au. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jesse Hogan (15 August 2014). "Matt Priddis' rise at West Coast earns many admirers" – The Age. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Matthew PRIDDIS (Subiaco)". WAFL Online. West Australian Football Commission. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "2004 Premiership Reunion" – Subiaco Football Club. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Simon White (12 August 2011). "Matt Priddis, AFL man of 'myth-tery'" – WAtoday. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Matt Priddis playing statistics – AFL Tables. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Season and Game Highs". AFL Tables. rleague.com. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  8. ↑ Brad Elborough (29 November 2013). "Priddis takes out inaugural John Worsfold Medal" – WAtoday. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  9. ↑ Braden Quartermaine (1 December 2013). "West Coast midfielder Matt Priddis a lesson to all after clinching John Worsfold Medal" – Herald Sun. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Alex Malcolm (13 June 2014). Up to five could rotate West Coast captaincy – Australian Football League. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "West Coast Eagle Matt Priddis Is The 2014 Brownlow Medallist". Allure Media. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  12. ↑ 2011 Brownlow Medal – AFL Tables. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  13. ↑ — (26 August 2014). "A Decade On: Matt Priddis" – Subiaco Football Club. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Nick Rynne (10 March 2014). "Priddis shows the way" – The West Australian. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Career Statistical Rankings: Matt Priddis – FootyWire. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "Season and Game Records (1965-2014)" – AFL Tables. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Matt Priddis' player profile at AFL Tables
  18. ↑ Alexa Coetsee (8 July 2012). "Storks are swooping on the Eagles' nest" – PerthNow. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  19. ↑ Jayne Rickard (11 October 2012). "New life in Eagles' nest" – The West Australian. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  20. ↑ Jay Clark (14 March 2008). "Matt Priddis keen to fill West Coast's midfield boots" – PerthNow. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  21. ↑ — (13 September 2007). "Priddis rises above curly posers" – FoxSports. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  22. ↑ Bruce Matthews (23 September 2014). "Matt Priddis wins 2014 Brownlow Medal over Nathan Fyfe, Gary Ablett" – Herald Sun. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  23. ↑ Courtney Walsh (23 September 2014). "Matt Priddis pulls off shock win at Brownlow Medal" – The Australian. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
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