Des Headland (born January 21, 1981) is an Australian rules footballer. He plays as a half-forward flanker or midfielder. This article is about the AFL club. ... This page is a chronological listing of Australian Football League premiers. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 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... In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. ... In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. ...

Pre-AFL Career

In 1997 Headland represented Western Australia (WA) at the under 16 national championships and won the best and fairest medal and was selected in the All-Australian team. In 1998 he represent WA in the Under 18 championships, made his league debut for Subiaco Football Club and won both the WAFL rising star and the Subiaco best and fairest award. He also toured Ireland with the AFL/AIS Academy side. Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State or the Golden State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 15  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $100,900 (4th)  - Product per capita  $50,355/person... Categories: Stub | Western Australian Football League clubs ... The West Australian Football League (WAFL) (pronounced waffle) is the premier state based Australian rules football league in Western Australia. ...

At the end of this outstanding season, Headland was selected by Brisbane Lions with the first selection in the 1998 AFL Draft. He was featured along with Adam Ramanauskas and Brendan Fevola in an ABC television documentary called The Draft, which followed the three players in the months before they were all drafted to the AFL. This article is about the AFL club. ... The 1998 Coca-Cola AFL National Draft was held on November 1, 1998. ... Adam Ramanauskas (born November 19, 1980) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ... Brendan Fev Fevola (born January 20, 1981) is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing with the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ...

Brisbane career

Headland only played 3 games for Brisbane in 1999, making his debut in round 13 against Sydney, in which he scored 2 goals. However, he only had 3 kicks in the following game and was dropped for the next five games until being recalled in round 20. He starred in this game against his future team, kicking 3 goals in a huge win over Fremantle. 2000 saw Headland only play 2 games in the first half of the season, but he ended up playing 9 games including both of Brisbane’s final round games. He wore guernsey number 19 in these first two seasons.

In 2001, Headland was given the number 1 guernsey when Richard Champion retired. After playing the first game of the season, Headland was dropped for the next two games, before being recalled and playing the remaining 19 regular season games. Poor form in the last few rounds saw him dropped for the finals series and he missed the Brisbane Lions first premiership. This enhanced speculation about his return to Perth, but following an outstanding display in the Lion's reserve premiership in the QAFL, he was retained for the 2002 season by Brisbane. Richard Champion (born April 14, 1968 in Kadina, South Australia) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ... AFL Queensland (AFLQ) is the governing body of Australian rules football in the state of Queensland. ...

2002 started slowly for Headland, with his first game not until round 6, but the four goals he scored was an indication of what was to come. He would play all remaining games that year, and in a 15 game purple patch from round 11 to the end of the year he would kick 30 goals, average 21 possessions and poll 16 Brownlow Medal votes, including three best-on-grounds and votes in six consecutive games. This culminated in Brisbane's second premiership and unlike 2001, Headland claimed a premiership medal. The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal, is the medal awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League during the regular season (ie not including finals matches) as decided upon by umpires. ...

Fremantle career

At the end of 2002, Fremantle entered the trade week with only one objective, to obtain Des Headland. A complex trade including Blake Caracella, Adam McPhee and the exchanging of numerous draft picks saw Headland return to WA and join the team whose T-shirt he had worn during interviews at the 1998 draft camp (as shown in the documentary The Draft.) The expectations of the Fremantle fans were high, especially when McPhee, who was traded by Fremantle to obtain Headland, won All-Australian selection and the Bomber's best and fairest award, the Crichton Medal in 2004. Also see: 2002 (number). ... Blake Caracella (born March 15, 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ... Adam McPhee (born October 6, 1982) is an Australian Rules football player, who currently wears the number 33 jumper for the Essendon Bombers. ... The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. ... Best and Fairest (also known as Fairest and Best in some competitions, notably the Australian Football League) is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or... The W.S. Crichton Medal is the name given to Best and Fairest award for Australian rules football team the Essendon Football Club. ...

2003 saw Headland poll Brownlow Medal votes in four games, including two best on ground performances. However, he failed to register a top-ten finish in the club best and fairest award, indicating that he wasn't a consistent performer. Leg injuries including an ankle injury during the Wizard Cup in 2004 and a calf strain in 2005 have limited his effectiveness and he hasn't been able to recapture the exceptional form that he showed at Brisbane in 2002 for any sustained period of time. The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal, is the medal awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League during the regular season (ie not including finals matches) as decided upon by umpires. ... The sport of Australian rules football is known for its high level of physical body contact compared to other sports such as soccer and basketball, and the fact that unlike gridiron, no padding whatsoever is worn. ... The Wizard Home Loans Cup (commonly just Wizard Cup) is the pre-season/night series competition of the Australian Football League. ...

In round 4, 2003, Headland was one of 7 indigenous players to represent Fremantle, the most ever to play in a single AFL team. The other indigenous players for Fremantle that day were Troy Cook, Jeff Farmer, Antoni Grover, Roger Hayden, Steven Koops and Dion Woods. This game also saw Fremantle kick it's highest ever score of 25.17 167. Troy Cook (born August 12, 1976) is an Australian rules footballer. ... Farmer as The nWo Sting Jeff Farmer is a professional wrestler best known as The nWo Sting or Imposter Sting. ... Antoni Grover (born March 11, 1980) is a defender for the Fremantle Dockers. ... Roger Hayden (born December 9, 1980) is an Australian rules footballer. ... Steven Koops (born 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer He began his career with the Fremantle Football Club, before moving to the Western Bulldogs. ... Dion Woods (born January 25, 1982) is a Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Dockers between 2001 and 2005. ...

Controversies

On 14 April 2007, Headland was involved in an altercation with West Coast Eagles player Adam Selwood. Both appeared before the AFL Tribunal on 18 April. Headland was charged with two counts of striking Selwood, and one count of wrestling with him, while Selwood was charged with using insulting language towards Headland. On 18 April, the tribunal found Selwood not guilty of using insulting language. [1] It found Headland guilty of two of the three charges but elected not to impose a penalty. [2]. Headland returned to the field the following week with a performance described as his best ever for Fremantle. April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. ... Adam Selwood (born 1 May 1984) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the AFL. Selwood was recruited from Bendigo Pioneers as the Eagles third pick, and number 53 overall in the 2002 AFL Draft. ... The AFL Tribunal is the tribunal of the Australian Football League (an Australian rules football competition). ...

In late June, 2007, Headland was involved in a fight in Northbridge with a relative, only weeks after teammates Chris Tarrant and Jeff Farmer were suspended by Fremantle for being involved in other nightclub brawls. Headland was not sanctioned by the club. [3] Northbridge is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia known for its night life. ... Chris Tarrant (born September 18, 1980 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian rules football player for the Fremantle Football Club. ... Jeff Farmer (born June 24, 1977) is an Aboriginal Australian rules footballer. ...

Trivia

• Des Headland is sponsored by Reebok and wears Reebok StrikeZone Pro FG
• He wore Number 1 jersey with Brisbane Lions but now wears Number 11 due to Luke Webster wearing number 1 jersey.

External links

• Des Headland profile on the Official AFL Website of the Fremantle Football Club
• Des Headland's statistics from AFL Tables