Ashley Sampi (born January 12, 1983) is an indigenous Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. The Australian Football League celebrates the best mark of the season through the annual Mark of the Year competition. ... January 12 is the 12th 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 spectator attribute of Aussie Rules Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the key skill in Aussie Rules Football Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy is a code of football... The West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ...

Recruited by the Eagles at number six in the rich 2001 AFL National Draft, Sampi debuted against Geelong in round 14 of the 2002 season, and played four games including a final in his debut season. Playing as a small forward, Sampi's career has been inconsistent; despite being a regular part of the side though the 2003 to 2005 seasons, he has not reached the heights that perhaps were expected of him given his original high selection

Probably the high point of Sampi's career was his AFL Mark of the Year in 2004 against Melbourne. Sampi was also selected in the Eagles' 2005 losing Grand Final team, but took a major step backward in the 2006 season, losing his regular spot in the team, and only managing twelve games though poor form, and ending up not getting a chance in the 2006 victorious Grand Final team. The Australian Football League celebrates the best mark of the season through the annual Mark of the Year competition. ... The Melbourne Football Club (MFC), nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Melbourne, Victoria. ...

Sampi's form seems to have often been related to weight issues; during the 2007 pre-season, Sampi has at times been required to train separately from the rest of the club to seal with his weight issues, however they seemed to come back under control, and he was reinstated to the main training list. The Eagles will be hoping Sampi can regain his best form; at times through his career he has shown glimpses of a possibly rare talent, but not reliably enough at a professional level.

Controversy

Sampi is locked in a paternity battle with his ex-girlfriend Christina Taylor. She claims that her daughter, Ashlyn Isobel (born December 27th 2006) was the result of a planned pregnancy with Sampi. However, Sampi refused to sign the birth certificate or visit the child until it is proven that she is his daughter.^[1]

During 2006 Sampi allegedly threatened his girlfriend and her sister with a knife.^[2] For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• West Coast Profile - Ashley Sampi
• Ashley Sampi's statistics from AFL Tables

See also

• List of Australian rules football incidents

The following is a listing of all off-field incidents that have received media coverage involving footballers from the Australian Football League. ...

References

1. ^ Row Leads To Paternity Test For Sampi
2. ^ Eagles star Sampi wanted for questioning