Daniel Bradshaw
Encyclopedia
Daniel Mark Bradshaw is a former professional Australian rules football
er who played for the Sydney Swans
and the Brisbane Lions
in the Australian Football League
.
Bradshaw is best known as a dual premiership forward at the Brisbane Lions
.
in the 1995 National Draft
, from Wodonga
, at pick 56 in the fourth round. His athleticism and marking was highlighted by recruiters, with the Bears expecting him to become a key-position prospect. Bradshaw would make his debut in his first season at the club, in round 18 against Richmond at Optus Oval
. He played the next two games off the bench, aged 17, at the same ground.
against Fremantle
, and dominated kicking four goals, and earning the AFL Rising Star nomination, in only his fourth AFL
match. A week later he booted six goals against Geelong
at the Gabba, his first game at home. He played every game for the season since his addition, being a regular goalkicker. He kicked another bag of seven goals against Hawthorn in Round 18 at the Gabba, as well as four other games of three goals including the Qualifying Final against St Kilda. He would finish equal fourth in the Rising Star, and kick 35 goals for the season in 16 games.
Bradshaw played an inconsistent 1998 season, as the Lions finished last. He would kick only 19 goals in 16 appearances, dropped twice during the season to the QSFL. 1999 was a year to forget for Bradshaw, as he suffered leg stress fractures and would miss the entire season. In what may have been a make or break 2000 season, Bradshaw returned to play a terrific season, despite a rough patch before the mid-season break. He kicked 16 goals in the first four week, including seven against the Western Bulldogs
at Colonial Stadium
. He would kick 3 goals in his next three matches, all coming against St Kilda, before being subsequently dropped, however he would replace Alistair Lynch as a late change to the Round 8 clash against Essendon, but would not prove anything, having a statless game with nil gametime. After playing in the reserves where he dominated, he came back into the strong line-up, playing the rest of the home and away season. His comeback game saw him kick another career-high seven goals against West Coast
. He would kick another two bags of five goals for the remainder of the season, finishing with 56 goals at the end of the home and away season, and sat eighth on the table. His final series attracted attention however, with his qualifying final seeing him contained to one kick, while he pulled out of the Semi-Final against Carlton
to be by the side of wife Angie for a premature birth of son Jake. He polled eight votes in the Brownlow Medal
.
. He did continue to struggle in the finals, averaging only three touches in his last four big games. 2002 was another up and down season for Bradshaw where his position as a forward was not secure, and used as a utility more often than not. His accurate kicking and mark however still provided him with 38 goals in 20 games, with eleven goals coming in rounds 2-3. He was dropped just before the finals, but was a late replacement in the Round 21 and 22 games for Craig McRae
and Darryl White
respectively. He however would re-injure his knee and miss the finals series and a second consecutive Premiership.
in March, and missed the entire season, the second time in his career, but his first knee reconstruction. However, his 2008 season has been the best. He appeared in the Hall of Fame Tribute match, playing for Victoria
, and kicking a goal. At the break, he has kicked 47 goals in 12 games, placed 4th behind Matthew Pavlich
, Brendan Fevola
, and Lance Franklin
. 2008 was by far Bradshaw's best season finishing 3rd in the coleman medal with 75 goals and a bag of 7 in Round 5 against Hawthorn
.
to draw the match at the MCG
. and impressed in the Elimination Final against Carlton
kicking the sealing goal tight on the boundary line in the pocket. On the 17 October 2009, Bradshaw denied Brisbane's new contract for him and he put himself up for the AFL Pre-season Draft
. Sydney
selected Bradshaw with their fourth pick in the pre-season draft.
, made famous by Michael O'Loughlin
. He played his first game in red and white in Round One against St Kilda. It was a thrilling match, where Bradshaw booted a goal, but failed to make a real impact as the Swans went down by eight points. He had his best game for the Swans in Round 6 against his old club the Brisbane Lions on 1 May 2010, kicking six goals, with several spectacular marks, helping the Swans win and end the round on top of the AFL ladder. Bradshaw injured his knee against Geelong down at Skilled Stadium which kept him out for several weeks, but he returned in the finals against the Western Bulldogs. He provided a quality target up forward but let himself down through some poor kicking for goal, though this was probably due to his bad knee.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played for the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
and the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
.
Bradshaw is best known as a dual premiership forward at the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
.
Brisbane Bears era
Bradshaw was drafted by the Brisbane BearsBrisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
in the 1995 National Draft
1995 AFL Draft
The 1995 AFL Draft was held at the conclusion of the 1995 Australian Football League season.The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football clubs that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.Clubs receive picks based...
, from Wodonga
Wodonga Football Club
The Wodonga Football Club are an Australian rules football club which compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League.The club is based in Wodonga, Victoria.Wodonga made four consecutive grand finals from 1967 to 1970, winning two premierships....
, at pick 56 in the fourth round. His athleticism and marking was highlighted by recruiters, with the Bears expecting him to become a key-position prospect. Bradshaw would make his debut in his first season at the club, in round 18 against Richmond at Optus Oval
MC Labour Park
Princes Park is an Australian rules football ground located at Princes Park in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton North, Victoria....
. He played the next two games off the bench, aged 17, at the same ground.
Brisbane Lions years
In only his second year of football, Bradshaw would shine in 1997. He played seniors for the first time in Round 8 at SubiacoSubiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...
against Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
, and dominated kicking four goals, and earning the AFL Rising Star nomination, in only his fourth AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
match. A week later he booted six goals against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
at the Gabba, his first game at home. He played every game for the season since his addition, being a regular goalkicker. He kicked another bag of seven goals against Hawthorn in Round 18 at the Gabba, as well as four other games of three goals including the Qualifying Final against St Kilda. He would finish equal fourth in the Rising Star, and kick 35 goals for the season in 16 games.
Bradshaw played an inconsistent 1998 season, as the Lions finished last. He would kick only 19 goals in 16 appearances, dropped twice during the season to the QSFL. 1999 was a year to forget for Bradshaw, as he suffered leg stress fractures and would miss the entire season. In what may have been a make or break 2000 season, Bradshaw returned to play a terrific season, despite a rough patch before the mid-season break. He kicked 16 goals in the first four week, including seven against the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
at Colonial Stadium
Telstra Dome
Docklands Stadium is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
. He would kick 3 goals in his next three matches, all coming against St Kilda, before being subsequently dropped, however he would replace Alistair Lynch as a late change to the Round 8 clash against Essendon, but would not prove anything, having a statless game with nil gametime. After playing in the reserves where he dominated, he came back into the strong line-up, playing the rest of the home and away season. His comeback game saw him kick another career-high seven goals against West Coast
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
. He would kick another two bags of five goals for the remainder of the season, finishing with 56 goals at the end of the home and away season, and sat eighth on the table. His final series attracted attention however, with his qualifying final seeing him contained to one kick, while he pulled out of the Semi-Final against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
to be by the side of wife Angie for a premature birth of son Jake. He polled eight votes in the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
.
2001 and 2002
In the 2001 season, which saw the Lions become Premiers, he would kick another 46 goals in 20 games. An important part to the side, he played at both ends if needed, but with Lynch and Jonathan Brown up forward, he was out of favour at times. He still kicked five goals or more in a match on six occasions, including three games in a row mid-season. He played every final, including the 2001 AFL Grand Final2001 AFL Grand Final
The 2001 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Brisbane Lions, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 2001. It was the 105th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
. He did continue to struggle in the finals, averaging only three touches in his last four big games. 2002 was another up and down season for Bradshaw where his position as a forward was not secure, and used as a utility more often than not. His accurate kicking and mark however still provided him with 38 goals in 20 games, with eleven goals coming in rounds 2-3. He was dropped just before the finals, but was a late replacement in the Round 21 and 22 games for Craig McRae
Craig McRae
Craig McRae is a former Australian rules footballer.Originally from South Australian National Football League club Glenelg, McRae was drafted by AFL club Brisbane as the 22nd pick in the 1994 draft and had an immediate impact, kicking two goals in his first game in 1995, and played every game of...
and Darryl White
Darryl White
Darryl White is a former Australian rules footballer whose career with the Brisbane Bears and Lions in the Australian Football League lasted from 1992 to 2005....
respectively. He however would re-injure his knee and miss the finals series and a second consecutive Premiership.
2003 and 2004
After an inconsistent season, 2003 was once again similar, but would see Bradshaw miss only two matches, and he would be used at centre half-back more than he previously was. He did however still provide a danger when placed forward, kicking six goals in a match twice, early and late in the season. After struggling in the first two finals, once again, he would finally play a big final when it counted, and played a good role in the 2003 Grand Final against Collingwood, as Brisbane won its third consecutive Premiership, with Bradshaw involved in two. He kicked 28 goals in 24 matches, and signed another three year contract till the end of 2006. 2004 was a very similar season as the previous year, playing as a utility, but proved dangerous in the Final Series, kicking sixteen goals in the last four games, including three goals in the losing side on Grand Final Day. When required to play forward he was unstoppable, four games in the season of five or more goals including another bag of seven goals, this time against Essendon. He kicked 40 goals in 22 games.2005 and 2006
Bradshaw was more recognised as a key position player after two successful years, and 2005 saw him once again play at both ends, despite winning the goalkicking at the club due to the departure of Lynch. He would kick 42 goals, including a then club record, and career high 9 goals against Melbourne at the Gabba. He would kick five goals on two other occasions, but would still fail to play every game. However, his 2006 campaign was possibly his best season, playing every game for the year, and kicking a career high 59 goals, playing as a permanent forward. He once again dominated Melbourne with an 8 goal performance in Round 14, and would kick 6 goals against Port Adelaide and Essendon.2007 and 2008
2007 was a year to forget for Bradshaw, rupturing his ACLAnterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in March, and missed the entire season, the second time in his career, but his first knee reconstruction. However, his 2008 season has been the best. He appeared in the Hall of Fame Tribute match, playing for Victoria
Victoria Australian rules football team
The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....
, and kicking a goal. At the break, he has kicked 47 goals in 12 games, placed 4th behind Matthew Pavlich
Matthew Pavlich
Matthew Pavlich is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing with the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
, Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola is a professional Australian rules footballer. He played with the Carlton and Brisbane Lions football clubs in the Australian Football League....
, and Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...
. 2008 was by far Bradshaw's best season finishing 3rd in the coleman medal with 75 goals and a bag of 7 in Round 5 against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
.
2009
2009 was another fairly good season for Bradshaw kicking 58 goals. He kicked a goal after the siren against EssendonEssendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
to draw the match at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. and impressed in the Elimination Final against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
kicking the sealing goal tight on the boundary line in the pocket. On the 17 October 2009, Bradshaw denied Brisbane's new contract for him and he put himself up for the AFL Pre-season Draft
AFL Pre-season Draft
The AFL Pre-season Draft is the drafting of uncontracted players to teams in the Australian Football League. The draft is conducted after the National AFL Draft and before the start of the next AFL season. It is conducted at the same time as the AFL rookie draft...
. Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
selected Bradshaw with their fourth pick in the pre-season draft.
2010
In the 2010 pre-season draft Bradshaw signed with the Sydney Swans after being selected with their fourth pick. He was given the number 19 guernseyGuernsey (clothing)
A guernsey, or gansey, is a seaman's knitted woollen sweater, similar to a jersey, which originated in the Channel Island of the same name.-Origins:...
, made famous by Michael O'Loughlin
Michael O'Loughlin
Michael Kevin O'Loughlin is a former professional Australian rules footballer, who played his entire Australian Football League career with the Sydney Swans....
. He played his first game in red and white in Round One against St Kilda. It was a thrilling match, where Bradshaw booted a goal, but failed to make a real impact as the Swans went down by eight points. He had his best game for the Swans in Round 6 against his old club the Brisbane Lions on 1 May 2010, kicking six goals, with several spectacular marks, helping the Swans win and end the round on top of the AFL ladder. Bradshaw injured his knee against Geelong down at Skilled Stadium which kept him out for several weeks, but he returned in the finals against the Western Bulldogs. He provided a quality target up forward but let himself down through some poor kicking for goal, though this was probably due to his bad knee.