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Daniel Wells (footballer)

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Daniel Wells
Wells with Collingwood in March 2017
Personal information
Full name Daniel Wells
Date of birth (1985-02-03) 3 February 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth Port Lincoln, South Australia.[1]
Original team(s) Peel (WAFL)
Draft No. 2, 2002 national draft
Height 181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 79 kg (174 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
2003–2016 North Melbourne 243 (150)
2017–2019 Collingwood 015 0(16)
Total 258 (166)
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Daniel Wells (born 3 February 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne and Collingwood in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

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Wells was born and raised in Port Lincoln, South Australia.[1] He played junior football there from the age of nine for local clubs including Mallee Park.[2] A big break in his junior career came when he was selected for an Under 16 international rules football tour to Ireland, where he was chosen as captain.[1] His adeptness to the hybrid game would see him eventually captain Australia at senior level.

Wells moved to Perth, Western Australia as a teenager and starred in the WAFL for the Peel Thunder where he caught the eyes of AFL scouts.[1]

AFL career

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Wells with North Melbourne in 2012

Wells was selected by North Melbourne with the number two overall pick in the 2002 AFL draft and made his debut in 2003 playing 18 games and averaging 12 disposals per game. He rose to prominence in 2004 when, against Fremantle, he kicked the AFL Goal of the Year, jumping and taking the ball from ruck contest in the goal square and kicking the goal before he landed.[3]

Wells was selected in the Australian team for the 2005 International Rules Series but was unable to play due to injury. He enjoyed a fairly good year in 2006 in which he averaged 18 disposals and finished 2nd in the Syd Barker Medal.

In 2008, Wells enjoyed a good season averaging 21 disposals and having a big impact in matches in the second half of the season during North Melbourne's winning period. He was rewarded with selection in the Australian side that lost to Ireland in that year's International Rules Series.

The next year was disappointing for Wells, as injuries restricted him to just seven games played in 2009.

In 2011 Wells produced a brilliant and consistent season when he won his first Syd Barker Medal which he shared with Andrew Swallow. He would also be named in the 40 man All Australian squad but would miss out on being part of the final 22.

Following the 2013 season, the two-time best and fairest was chosen to represent Australia in the International Rules Series as captain of the exclusively Indigenous team, a rare and memorable honour.

At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Wells announced his intentions to leave North Melbourne as a free agent[4] and he signed with Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent in October.[5]

On 24 May 2017, it was announced that he would wear number 67 on his guernsey, rather than his usual 3, for the round 10 Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round game against Brisbane Lions. This was to commemorate the 1967 referendum (which allowed Indigenous Australians to be counted with the general population in the census).[6]

Wells retired in September 2019.[7]

Statistics

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Statistics are correct to the end of the 2019 season[8]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2003 Kangaroos 8 18 10 7 149 67 216 64 39 0.6 0.4 8.3 3.7 12.0 3.6 2.2
2004 Kangaroos 8 22 13 8 239 114 353 89 49 0.6 0.4 10.9 5.2 16.0 4.0 2.2
2005 Kangaroos 8 22 12 10 246 148 394 86 43 0.5 0.5 11.2 6.7 17.9 3.9 2.0
2006 Kangaroos 8 22 11 7 227 180 407 81 53 0.5 0.3 10.3 8.2 18.5 3.7 2.4
2007 Kangaroos 8 18 14 18 193 139 332 70 44 0.8 1.0 10.7 7.7 18.4 3.9 2.4
2008 North Melbourne 8 21 6 11 271 173 444 92 59 0.3 0.5 12.9 8.2 21.1 4.4 2.8
2009 North Melbourne 8 7 4 1 94 41 135 30 13 0.6 0.1 13.4 5.9 19.3 4.3 1.9
2010 North Melbourne 8 19 15 11 246 150 396 90 43 0.8 0.6 12.9 7.9 20.8 4.7 2.3
2011 North Melbourne 8 21 17 15 312 180 492 80 80 0.8 0.7 14.9 8.6 23.4 3.8 3.8
2012 North Melbourne 8 20 14 16 290 149 439 72 59 0.7 0.8 14.5 7.5 22.0 3.6 3.0
2013 North Melbourne 8 22 25 10 291 177 468 80 52 1.1 0.5 13.2 8.0 21.3 3.6 2.4
2014 North Melbourne 8 10 4 4 100 87 187 39 25 0.4 0.4 10.0 8.7 18.7 3.9 2.5
2015 North Melbourne 8 2 0 0 6 16 22 1 6 0.0 0.0 3.0 8.0 11.0 0.5 3.0
2016 North Melbourne 8 19 5 5 224 215 439 67 82 0.3 0.3 11.8 11.3 23.1 3.5 4.3
2017 Collingwood 3/67 10 11 5 101 84 185 47 22 1.1 0.5 10.1 8.4 18.5 4.7 2.2
2018 Collingwood 3 4 2 4 32 18 50 14 10 0.5 1.0 8.0 4.5 12.5 3.5 2.5
2019 Collingwood 3 1 3 0 6 5 11 4 2 3.0 0.0 6.0 5.0 11.0 4.0 2.0
Career 258 166 132 3027 1943 4970 1006 681 0.6 0.5 11.7 7.5 19.3 3.9 2.6

Health scare

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At the end of the 2011 season Wells had shoulder surgery during which it was discovered that he had a large blood clot on his lungs. The clot was successfully removed and Wells returned to full health and resumed playing.

Media profile and personal life

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In 2009, Wells appeared alongside other AFL footballers in an AFL television advertisement titled "AFL: In a League of its Own", which featured prominent AFL players playing Australian rules football at famous sporting venues around the world, and in the middle of other sports being played, including basketball, Association football and American football. In the advertisement, Wells receives a handpass from Justin Koschitzke during an association football match, and after evading a number of defenders, kicks the ball to Lance Franklin.[9]

He is a devout Roman Catholic.[10]

On 14 October 2006 Wells married school teacher Mariangela Laudato. They have a daughter, Laudate Angelus.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Daniel Wells from Deadly Vibe 30 November 2007
  2. ^ The magic of Mallee Park By Katrina Gill 26 May 2007
  3. ^ Robinson, Chris (25 May 2018). "Friday Flashback: Daniel Wells' 'Jackie Chan' goal that sunk Fremantle". The West AustralianA. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. ^ Navaratnam, Dinny (10 October 2016). "Pies set to swoop as Wells tells Roos he's leaving". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Daniel Wells becomes a Magpie, Kanga compo revealed". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Players' number tribute to indigenous breakthrough". Australian Football League. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  7. ^ "West Aussie Daniel Wells announces retirement ahead of Collingwood preliminary final". The West Australian. 16 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Daniel Wells". AFL Tables. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  9. ^ "AFL Commercial 2009 - In A League Of It's [sic] Own - HD". YouTube. ALZ. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Time out with Daniel Wells > Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Church in Melbourne, Australia > General Features- Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Church in Melbourne, Australia". Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
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