Michael Gardiner (born July 5, 1979) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. This article needs to be wikified. ... The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Australian Rules and Aussie Rules redirect here. ... The Australian Football League (AFL) is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football. ...

AFL career

No.1 draft pick in the 1996 National Draft, Gardiner debuted in 1997 at only 17 years of age, there were big raps on Gardiner as an emerging ruckman/forward. He did not disappoint, winning a Rising Star nomination in 1997 and continuing to improve. Ruckman may mean: Ruckman, West Virginia Ruckman (Australian rules football position) This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

In 2003 he won All-Australian selection but since then his career has taken a turn for the worst. His chronic knee injuries have set him back, to the point where he missed most of the 2004 season. 2005 was not much better for Gardiner, with his poor season culminating in a much-maligned 2005 AFL Grand Final performance, where he consistently dropped marks and was slow on the lead, as well as his inaccurate goalkicking. The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. ... For other uses, see Knee (disambiguation). ... 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. ... Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004. ... The AFL Grand Final is the annual Australian Rules Football match held to determine the Australian Football League premiers for that year. ...

From the heights of his All-Australian selection where he was considered one of the AFL's premier ruckman, the injury-prone Gardiner has slid to the point where he is no longer a first-choice player at the West Coast Eagles. He has been overtaken in the ruck department by Dean Cox who was the leading ruckman in the competition winning All Australian selection in 2005 and also Mark Seaby a young ruckman who has turned in consistently solid performances. The West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian Rules Football club that is a member of the Australian Football League. ... Dean Cox (born August 1, 1981) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. ... Mark Seaby (born May 1, 1984) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ...

Off-field dramas

During the 2005 season he was criticised for his involvement with Ben Cousins and a group of Perth gangsters. Allegedly the two Eagles players received phone calls from gangland figures both before and after a shooting at the Metro City nightclub. Ben Cousins (born 30 June 1978) is an Australian rules footballer for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League from 2001-2005. ... Perth is the state capital and most populous city of Western Australia. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Gardiner's off-field lifestyle has been seen as detrimental to the West Coast playing group, and in February 2006, in the midst of the Ben Cousins booze bus incident, he was dropped to the Western Australian Football League side Claremont indefinitely on grounds of poor performance and poor off-field behaviour. However, on 2006-04-21 he rejoined the Eagles. Ben Cousins (born 30 June 1978) is an Australian rules footballer for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League from 2001-2005. ... The following is a listing of all off-field criminal incidents that have received media coverage from the Australian Football League. ... The acronym WAFL may refer to: West Australian Football League Write Anywhere File Layout Warwick Functional Language Workshop on Altaic in Formal Linguistics WAFL (FM), Delaware This page expands a four-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a call sign, a... Formed: 1906 Joined WAFL: 1926 (as Claremont-Cottesloe) Home Ground: Claremont Oval Colours: Navy Blue and Gold Nickname: Tigers WAFL Premierships: 1938-39-40, 1964, 1981, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996 Record Home Attendance: 18,268 v. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... The West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian Rules Football club that is a member of the Australian Football League. ...

On July 18, 2006, Gardiner's playing contract was suspended indefinitely and he was fined $5000^[1] following his involvement in a traffic accident in a Perth suburb overnight. He escaped the accident with only minor injuries. West Coast Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett said that it was highly unlikely the club would renew his contract at the end of the year. The latest incident may mark the end of Gardiner's controversial career, with the West Coast Eagles at least. July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The controversies surrounding Michael Gardiner have been frequently known to spark debate as to whether an athlete's off field behaviour should have an impact on their on-field selection. Chris Judd himself, captain of the West Coast Eagles has commented in his column (though not necessarily in specific reference to Gardiner) that players ought not be role models for children, as the public rarely has an idea of the character of players. Some commentators such as Mark Duffield have expressed disagreement with this view, citing the fact that players accept large salaries and thus accept taking on the job of role models. Other commentators such as Sam Newman, Doovie Cohen, as well as (prominent physician and Eagles supporter) Steven David have been vocal in stating that parents ought to be role models themselves, and opining that the likes of Michael Gardiner should be left to doing what they do best - playing football. Christopher Judd (born 8 September 1983) is the captain of the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. ... The West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian Rules Football club that is a member of the Australian Football League. ...

External links

• Michael S. Gardiner profile on westcoasteagles.com.au
• Michael S. Gardiner statistics from RLeague