Gavin Wanganeen
Encyclopedia
Gavin Adrian Wanganeen (born 18 June 1973) is a retired Australian rules football
er, playing in two Australian Football League
premierships with Essendon
and Port Adelaide
. Wanganeen is a Brownlow Medal
list and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever. He is the first cousin of brothers Aaron
and Alwyn Davey
.
descent, Wanganeen played junior football for Adelaide
based Amateur club Salisbury North Hawks before debuting in 1990 aged 16 with Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League
(SANFL) (prior to that club joining the AFL), playing 24 matches and kicking 46 goals, winning the SANFL Rookie of the Year award, starring in Port Adelaide's 1990 Premiership team
and gaining the attention of AFL side Essendon.
for the best and fairest player in the league, the first Aboriginal
Australian to do so, as well as being a key player in Essendon's premiership win that year. In 2002, he was voted the 19th best Essendon player of all time in the "Champions of Essendon" list.
, but then injured his right knee in an SANFL game for the Port Adelaide Magpies
, which led him to retire from football. Wanganeen was the first Aboriginal player to play 300 games. He was honoured by the Power by the naming of the best under 21 medal after him, the Gavin Wanganeen Medal
.
AFL
Gavin has served as a voluntary ambassador for the Australian branch of the White Ribbon Campaign which is a men's campaign that tackles violence against women.
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, playing in two 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...
premierships with Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
. Wanganeen is a 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...
list and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever. He is the first cousin of brothers Aaron
Aaron Davey
Aaron Davey is a professional Australian rules football player of Indigenous Australian heritage. He currently plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
and Alwyn Davey
Alwyn Davey
Alwyn Davey is a professional Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Essendon Football Club of the Australian Football League.-Early life:...
.
Early life
An Australian Aboriginal of Kokatha MulaKokatha Mula
The Kokatha Mula are the traditional Aboriginal people of an area north of the Eyre Peninsula, including the Yumburra, Yellabinna, and Pureba regions north of Ceduna.Leading Australian rules footballer Gavin Wanganeen is of Kokatha Mula descent....
descent, Wanganeen played junior football for Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
based Amateur club Salisbury North Hawks before debuting in 1990 aged 16 with Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
(SANFL) (prior to that club joining the AFL), playing 24 matches and kicking 46 goals, winning the SANFL Rookie of the Year award, starring in Port Adelaide's 1990 Premiership team
1990 SANFL Grand Final
The 1990 SANFL Grand Final saw the Port Adelaide Magpies defeat the Glenelg Tigers by 15 points. The match was played on Sunday 7 October 1990 at Football Park in front of a crowd of 50,589 .-Quarter by Quarter Scores:...
and gaining the attention of AFL side Essendon.
Essendon Career (1990–1996)
Wanganeen debuted for Essendon in 1991, immediately finding a niche as an attacking defender. His quality was recognised in 1993 when he won the Brownlow MedalBrownlow 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...
for the best and fairest player in the league, the first Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
Australian to do so, as well as being a key player in Essendon's premiership win that year. In 2002, he was voted the 19th best Essendon player of all time in the "Champions of Essendon" list.
Port Adelaide Power Career (1997–2006)
Wanganeen returned to Port Adelaide in 1997 to captain Port Adelaide and won 11 Brownlow votes, but after his first season injuries conspired to minimise his impact. He relinquished the Port Adelaide captaincy at the end of the 2000 season which saw a return to his best form. In the 2003 season he was favourite to once again win the Brownlow (he finished equal second). In 2004 he won his second premiership medal in Port's first AFL premiership side. Wanganeen played his 300th AFL game in the 2006 season2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...
, but then injured his right knee in an SANFL game for the Port Adelaide Magpies
Port Adelaide Magpies
The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the South Australian National Football League...
, which led him to retire from football. Wanganeen was the first Aboriginal player to play 300 games. He was honoured by the Power by the naming of the best under 21 medal after him, the Gavin Wanganeen Medal
Gavin Wanganeen Medal
The Gavin Wanganeen Medal is an award presented by the Port Adelaide Power to its best player under the age of 21. The award, struck in 2006, is named after Gavin Wanganeen, a former champion with both Port Adelaide and Essendon who, by the age of 21, had won a SANFL premiership with Port Adelaide,...
.
Career highlights
- Port AdelaidePort Adelaide Football ClubThe Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
premiership side 1990 - SANFL Rookie of the Year 1990
AFL
- AFLPA Rookie of the Year 1991
- All-Australian TeamAll-Australian TeamThe All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003 - EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
preseason premiership side 1993, 1994 - Michael Tuck MedalMichael Tuck MedalSince 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final. It is named after Michael Tuck, the current AFL games record holder who played 426 senior matches for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1972 and 1991....
1993 - Brownlow MedalBrownlow MedalThe 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...
1993 - EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
premiership side 1993 - EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Team of the Century (back pocketBack pocketIn Australian rules football, the back pocket refers to a position on the field deep in defence.Back pocket players, situated in the backline, need to have good spoiling skills and usually, quality back-pockets are noted for their hardness....
) 1997 - Port AdelaidePort Adelaide Football ClubThe Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
captain 1997–2000 - Port AdelaidePort Adelaide Football ClubThe Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
preseason premiership side 2001, 2002 - 'Champions of EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
' elected 19th, 2002 - Second Brownlow MedalBrownlow MedalThe 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...
(equal) 2003 - Leigh Matthews TrophyLeigh Matthews TrophyThe Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
runner-up 2003 - Port Adelaide best and fairestJohn Cahill MedalThe John Cahill Medal, named after Port Adelaide Power's inaugural AFL coach John Cahill, is awarded to the Best and Fairest player every season for the Port Adelaide Football Club.-Recipients:-Multiple Recipients:...
2003 - 'Inside Football' Player of the Year 2003
- Port AdelaidePort Adelaide Football ClubThe Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
premiership side 2004 - AFL Life Membership 2004
- Most Outstanding achievement in AFL 2004 (The DeadlysThe DeadlysThe Deadlys are an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Vibe Australia hosts the awards, which for have been held at the Sydney Opera House since 2001. The first Deadly awards were held in 1995...
) - Indigenous Team of the CenturyIndigenous Team of the CenturyThe Indigenous Team of the Century was selected to recognise the role of Indigenous Australians in the sport. It was announced in 2005 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first senior game played by an indigenous player, Fitzroy's Joe Johnson...
Half-Back Flank 2005 - Port AdelaidePort Adelaide Football ClubThe Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
Life Membership 2006
Personal life
In 2000 Wanganeen married Stephanie Richards and had two children; a daughter, Mia, and a son, Tex. They separated in 2009.Gavin has served as a voluntary ambassador for the Australian branch of the White Ribbon Campaign which is a men's campaign that tackles violence against women.