Jason Winderlich is an Australian rules football

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 plays as a midfielder for Essendon

Essendon Football Club

The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 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...

 (AFL).

Originally from Thorpdale, Victoria

Thorpdale, Victoria

Thorpdale is a small country town in the Gippsland area of eastern Victoria, Australia, less than 20 km south of Trafalgar. Famous for its potatoes, it is located amongst the rich farmland of the Latrobe Valley. Thorpdale spuds are eaten around the country and also exported overseas. The name...

, he was drafted in the first round of the 2002 AFL Draft

2002 AFL Draft

The 2002 AFL Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and the elevation of rookies. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.In 2002...

 from the Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup

TAC Cup

The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....

. He struggled with injuries in his initial years, playing only 30 games in his first four seasons in the AFL. In June 2008, after playing 26 games in a season and a half, he underwent back surgery to repair a prolapsed disc, missing the remainder of the year. He returned in 2009 to have his best season to date, earning 10 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...

 votes to be the equal leader for Essendon and finishing fifth in the club's best and fairest award.

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