Alan Didak

Personal information
Birth	February 15, 1983 (1983-02-15) (age 24), South Australia
Recruited from	Port Adelaide (SANFL)
Height/Weight	182cm / 84kg
Playing career¹
Debut	May 13, 2001, Collingwood vs. Kangaroos, at Telstra Dome
Team(s)	Collingwood (2001-) 120 Games, 171 Goals Image File history File linksMetadata Alan_didak. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 11  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $59,819 (5th)  - Product per capita  $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  1,558,200 (5th)  - Density  1. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies , is an Australian rules football club involved, and playing in the Australian Football League. ... North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. ... This page is for Telstra Dome, Melbourne. ... Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies , is an Australian rules football club involved, and playing in the Australian Football League. ...
¹ Statistics to end of 2007 season
Career highlights
Copeland Trophy 2006 All-Australian 2006 AFL Rising Star Nominee 2002 International Rules Series 2004

Alan Didak (born February 15, 1983) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for Collingwood during the year. ... The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... International rules is a rhetoric sentence used by the governments of United States and Great Britain when pointing at countries that they regard as rogue states because of their political inclinations or because they do not voluntarily align to Washington or Londons international policies. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... High marking is a key skill and spectacular attribute of Australian rules football Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the key skill in Australian rules football Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy is a code of... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ...

Career

Early career

Alan is of Croatian descent. Didak was a highly-touted junior footballer. He played in the SANFL seniors with Port Adelaide at 17 years of age, and was the captain of the junior side in a series against Ireland. He was drafted by Collingwood in the 2000 AFL Draft with their first pick at number 3. 'Dids' made his AFL debut in his first season at the club against the Kangaroos at the Telstra Dome. The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL as it is usually referred to, is the premier league for Australian Rules football in the state of South Australia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies , is an Australian rules football club involved, and playing in the Australian Football League. ... The 2000 AFL Draft was the annual draft of talented Australian rules football players by teams that participate in the Australian Football League. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. ... This page is for Telstra Dome, Melbourne. ...

In 2001 he only played 5 games, but it was his second year at the club where he made his stand. A decent midfielder in his junior levels, he was made into a half-forward at Collingwood. He played his first game for the season in Round 4 and had an impact, but the next week he was statless, and his form had a same trend of inconsistency being dropped weeks later, but his performances for Williamstown earned him another go in Round 10. He played every match but one for the rest of the season. He was used sparingly in the forward line and chipped in with 3 goals in each of the Round 13 and 14 clashes, but his match against Hawthorn saw him kick 5 goals. He played in all 3 finals for the club, but didn't have a major impact in those matches, only kicking 2 goals, and didn't kick a goal in the Grand Final against the Brisbane Lions. He earned an AFL Rising Star nomination during the season. Williamstown Seagulls Logo The Williamstown Football Club is an Australian Football Club based in Melbourne and currently playing in the Victorian Football League. ... Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). ... This article is about the AFL club. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

During the 2002 season, when the Basement Jaxx song "Where's Your Head At?" was released, many Collingwood fans sung the song "Where's Your Didak?" at games, which became, and remains, a popular chants at Collingwood matches. Basement Jaxx is a critically acclaimed UK house music duo, comprising Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe, that rose to popularity in the late 1990s. ... Wheres Your Head At? is a popular song by the band Basement Jaxx from their sophomore album Rooty. ...

2003 season

Didak played every game in 2003, and kicked 36 goals as a goal-sneak. He kicked 3 goals in a game four times, including in the Grand Final against Brisbane. In spite of this, some concerns remained about his inconsistency.

2004 season

2004 wasn't as convincing as 2003, but he showed more maturity and continued to show glimpses as a senior player. His main problem in the season was his inaccuracy, kicking 21.26 over the year, but he still averaged more than a goal a game, playing 18 games. On ANZAC Day against Essendon he took one of the marks of the year over Essendon player Andrew Welsh. ANZAC Day is commemorated by Australia and New Zealand on 25 April every year to remember members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who in the Battle of Gallipoli landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. ANZAC Day is also a public holiday in the... Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... Andrew Welsh (born 1944) was a Scottish National Party member of parliament for South Angus from 1974 to 1979, Angus East from 1987 to 1997 and Angus from 1997 to 2001. ...

2005 season

Didak's 2005 season was disrupted by injuries and problems. He had knee surgery during the pre-season, setting him up for his first game on ANZAC Day against Essendon. His injury had an effect upon his performances. He kicked only 3 goals in his first 4 matches back, before having a good run of form, kicking 14 goals in his next 4 games, including 5 goals against Geelong and 4 goals against Hawthorn. Having niggles since the mid-year break, he was suspended in round 14 for 2 matches, and returning from that he injured an ankle. It wasn't too serious the ankle injury, but his next week return lasted only 20 minutes, when Didak suddenly fainted on the ground with an irregular heart beat, and missed the rest of the season through the illness, but was just a precautionary act, and there was no damage done. ANZAC Day is commemorated by Australia and New Zealand on 25 April every year to remember members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who in the Battle of Gallipoli landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. ANZAC Day is also a public holiday in the... Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League with a rich history. ...

2006 season

2006 was Didak's best season to date. He played every game including one final and was awarded a half forward position on the coveted All Australian team. A season highlight came in Round 20 against Port Adelaide, when after a relatively quiet night he kicked the winning goal with less than one minute remaining. He was ultimately rewarded with the Copeland Trophy as the best and fairest Collingwood player for 2006. Didak would kick a career best 41 goals in his 23 games, and would also play his 100th match against Carlton. In the same match he put a controversial bump on former team-mate Heath Scotland. The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for Collingwood during the year. ... // Carlton, New South Wales Carlton, Victoria Carlton, a neighbourhood in Edmonton Carlton Hotel, Cannes Carlton, Bedfordshire Carlton, Cambridgeshire Carlton, County Durham Carlton, Leicestershire Carlton, North Yorkshire Carlton, Hambleton or Carlton-in-Cleveland Carlton, Richmondshire or Carlton Town Carlton, Selby Carlton, Nottinghamshire Carlton, South Yorkshire Carlton, Suffolk Carlton, West Yorkshire The... Heath Scotland (born July 21, 1980) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ...

He suffered a serious knee injury to the ACL in the Elimination Final loss to the Western Bulldogs, had surgery and missed the preseason. But the knee healed quickly and he returned to the side in Round 5 2007, but missed Round 6. An inspirational performance vs Carlton in Round 7 where he kicked the ball over his head under pressure to set up a goal to a teammate.

Personal life

Didak was subject to intense, and possibly unfair, scrutiny by the media in late 2006. A fight with then-girlfriend Cassie Lane was heavily publicised in newspaper The Herald Sun on the front page, leading to widespread dissent that The Sun was lacking credibility. He was also involved in an off-field indiscretion with a taxi driver the evening before the Copeland Trophy. Didak, on crutches, negotiated a fare with a taxi driver, who was demanding a higher price. He was taken away by police, who were passing the area at the time. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Herald Sun is a newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that is published by The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ... The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for Collingwood during the year. ...

In late June 2007, it was revealed Didak had met with Christopher Hudson, the alleged shooter in the 2007 Melbourne CBD shootings days before the shootings took place. ^[1] The 2007 Melbourne CBD shooting occurred in the Central Business District of Melbourne, Victoria on June 18, 2007. ...

According to a statement read by Collingwood Football Club CEO Gary Pert, Didak had been drinking heavily at the Spearmint Rhino strip club when he was approached by Hudson, who offered a drink and revealed he was a great fan. Hudson offered Didak a lift home and Didak, who was intoxicated, accepted. During the car trip, Didak experienced "dangerous and erratic driving" whilst in the back seat of Hudson's car and began to fear for his life. He was taken to a "biker" clubhouse for a short time and requested to go home. Hudson and his associates dropped Didak off near the city and Didak made his way home by taxi. Hudson is accused of firing shots at a factory, and also at police, from a handgun on the same night in the same car. Didak does not recall hearing any shots because he was heavily intoxicated. He was not charged and was employed only as a witness, describing his experience as "traumatic". Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies , is an Australian rules football club involved, and playing in the Australian Football League. ... Gary Pert (born May 28, 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and businessman. ...

See also

• List of VFL/AFL players by ethnicity
• List of Australian rules football incidents

This is a listing of Australian Football League (formerly known as the VFL) players listed by their families country of origin (not to be confused with ethnicity). ... The following is a listing of on and off-field incidents that have received media coverage involving footballers from the Australian Football League. ...

References

External links

• Alan Didak profile on the Official AFL Website of the Collingwood Football Club
• Alan Didak's statistics from AFL Tables