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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 21 June 1987 , Victoria |
| Recruited from | Gippsland Power |
| Height and weight | 184 cm / 80 kg |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 1, 4 March 2006, Collingwood vs. Adelaide, at Telstra Dome |
| Team(s) | Collingwood (2006-)
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| ¹ Statistics to end of Round 21, 2008 season | |
| Career highlights | |
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Dale Thomas (born 21 June 1987) is an Australian rules footballer for Collingwood in the Australian Football League.
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Dale Thomas grew up in Drouin with his mother Kaye and his sister Jessica. His parents separated when he was 13. As a child, he idolised Geelong Cats superstar Gary Ablett, who also grew up in Drouin. He idolised Gary Ablett so much that he used to watch his Grandfather's tapes of Ablett and Geelong, over and over, and recreate the marks and goals. His favourite highlight from Ablett was his one handed mark over Gary Pert.[citation needed]
Thomas played his first junior football at age eight, later moving on to play with the Hallora under-12s. When asked by the team management to register his birth date, he didn't know what it was because he was only eight years old, so he repeated the one given by the kid in front of him. He played so well that when he was 13 years old many of his friends and team mates knew that he would become an AFL star. His mother was so dedicated to making his AFL dream happen that she would kick the football with Dale and shoot netballs with sister Jessica.[1]
According to his father, during his first stint as captain of the under-14 Drouin team he won the toss but forgot which direction he had chosen and kicked a behind for Toordain, the opposing team. Regardless, Drouin won by ten goals and Dale's behind was Tooradin's only score.[2]
In 2003 he was selected in the Under-16 Vic Country squad playing on the wing. He was later selected in the 2005 Vic Country squad playing on the half forward flank. He was the Vice-Captain of the Gippsland Power squad in 2005, scoring goals in 14 out of 18 games for the Power. He was Drouin Secondary College school captain in 2005. Thomas collected 20 disposals and kicked four goals in a best-on-ground performance in Gippsland Power's TAC Cup premiership, and was selected in the TAC Cup Team of the Year. He was selected by Collingwood with their first pick in the 2005 AFL Draft (the second pick overall).[3]
Thomas made his debut in the AFL in round one of the 2006 AFL Season, in Collingwood's match against the Adelaide Crows. Thomas gathered 16 possessions, kicked two goals and took a spectacular mark on an Adelaide opponent's back. In Collingwood's round two win against Hawthorn gathered twenty possessions and was nominated for the 2006 AFL Rising Star award.
During the 2006 ANZAC Day match against Essendon Thomas was nominated for both Mark of the Year and Goal of the Year. He took a spectacular mark over Essendon player Andrew Welsh. He also kicked a memorable goal, baulking an opponent and kicking from 50 metres under pressure.
Thomas' season was marred by an injury to his collarbone on August 5, but returned to play in Collingwood's defeat in the 2006 First Elimination Final to the Western Bulldogs, where he took a spectacular mark on the shoulders of an opponent.
He became so popular in his first season of AFL that his guernseys bearing his name sold twice as many as then Captain Nathan Buckley at the club's merchandise shop.[citation needed]
During 2007, Thomas was played in a variety of positions including a regular role in the midfield and the forward line, and also instances in defence. He played every game in the 2007 season. He was considered a match-winner in the Round 1 fightback against the North Melbourne Kangaroos, and was also judged one of the best afield in Round 3 against the Richmond Tigers where he collected 25 disposals. After being injured three days earlier against the Port Adelaide Power, he battled in the traditional ANZAC Day game against the Essendon Bombers.
Highlights of the 2007 season came during a match against the Sydney Swans where Collingwood was considered underdogs with a depleted defence. Thomas recorded a career high 4 goals, and was thus awarded three Brownlow Medal votes. He was also judged best afield by commentators against St Kilda where he recorded 18 possessions and 2 goals.
Most memorably he slotted through a neat goal from the boundary line while being chased by two St Kilda players; commentators labelled it "Goal of the Year" until it was judged out-of-bounds, this incident has since been dubbed "non-goal of the year".[4]. Thomas played a vital role in the Pies' finals matches. His runs down the ground in the Semi Final and Preliminary Final are considered some of the most important plays in the Pies' win against West Coast and close loss against Geelong.
Thomas' year ended with a career-high four votes at the Brownlow count and placing sixth in the Copeland Trophy count.
Thomas began his 2008 campaign with style in Dubai, where he took a "specky" on the shoulders of his Adelaide opponent in Round 1 of the 2008 NAB Cup. Three weeks later, he kicked a freakish goal against Port Adelaide during a practice match at Princes Park - as the ball was bounced in the goalsquare, Thomas dodged both ruckmen, jumped in the air and kicked the ball over his head through the goals, right on the siren.
Thomas was named in Mike Sheahan's "Top 50 Players" at number 42.
Thomas was named one of the best in Collingwood's opening game against Fremantle, after kicking two goals and collecting 15 disposals. Two weeks later, in Round 3 against Richmond, he kicked three goals, including a superb right-foot kick from the boundary line, dribbling through for a goal (nominated for, and winning, Goal of the Week), as well as taking a fantastic mark on the shoulders of Tiger Joel Bowden, resulting in a goal. Both pieces of play were also nominated for the collingwoodfc.com.au 'Pie Plays of the Day'. Thomas gained another nomination for Mark of the Week in the next around against Carlton, leaping high to take a great mark on the shoulders of both opponents and teammate Anthony Rocca.
Thomas was named in the extended squad for the Victorian team in the 150-year-anniversary AFL Tribute Match, to be played on May 10. He unfortunately didn't make the 25 man squad.[5]
Upon being named, he said:
"It would be fantastic to play in the match, because it's the first time State of Origin has been back for a while, and I remember growing up watching it on the telly so it would be great to be a part of. Hopefully I can get a kick, if I manage to get into the side. It's always good to play with great players, and in my first two years, I was lucky enough to play with Bucks (Nathan Buckley). To play on the same side as some of the greats of the game would just be a great thrill."
Thomas endured a heavily-publicised "form slump"[6] , the first of his career, after poor performances against North Melbourne, Essendon and Hawthorn, and averaging only 13 possessions. He returned after the Hall of Fame break by defying his critics with a 21-possession game, running mainly with St Kilda's Nick Dal Santo.[7]
In Thomas' 50th game against Geelong, he collected 18 possessions, playing on the 2007 Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel, in the Magpies 86 point mauling of the reigning premiers, to give the Cat's their first loss of the season and second loss in 28 matches. His opponent Bartel collected 20 possessions, but most of these were ineffective disposals and clanger kicks, and Bartel had the lowest disposal efficiency with 55%. Thomas kicked a goal labelled as "Daicos-like" by Channel Seven commentator Bruce McAvaney. He scooped the ball after a loose ball on the 50-metre-arc, ran in ten metres while being chased by Geelong opponent Cameron Ling, and kicked a checkside goal that dribbled through from the boundary. It was nominated for, and won, Goal of the Week. [8] He starred in Collingwood's 100-point thrashing of West Coast Eagles with 20 possessions and three goals. His first goal was the result of a handpass from teammate Rhyce Shaw on the half-back line. He ran nearly 100 metres, taking four bounces, weaving between West Coast opponents, and slotted the goal 40 metres out, and celebrating on his knees in front of the Collingwood cheer squad. [9] He also received a cut lip which required stitches.[10]
He played in the annual split-round game against the Sydney Swans in Sydney, and kicked three goals - two from "screamers" in the first and second quarters, and the other from an uncontested mark. Thomas was heavily tagged in the second half, but Collingwood ran away with a 29-point win, and Thomas was named as one of the best on ground, and one of his marks nominated for Mark of the Week. Thomas was also a star against St Kilda following a horror week at Collingwood, and collected 22 possessions (thirteen contested), kicked a goal, took a "screamer" and also a courageous mark running back with the flight of the ball.
Thomas injured his knee against Port Adelaide in Round 20, after landing awkwardly in a marking contest during the third quarter. According to chief of football Greg Walsh, Thomas had developed bleeding and swelling on the back of his calf, but was in contention to play the following week. However, he missed the last two games of the home-and-away season, with the official complaint as an upper calf injury. [11]
Thomas returned from his injury to play in the First Elimination Final against the Adelaide Crows. He collected 20 possessions and kicked one goal within seconds of the three-quarter-time siren from the fifty-metre arc, which he later described as a "fluke". [12] His goal, received from a tap from Shannon Cox, was later described by Jackie Epstein as a "team-defining moment"[13], and by Andrew Faulkner as one of the "goals of the season"[14] Commentator Anthony Hudson called it a "stunning accidental goal" at the time.[15]
Thomas ended the 2008 season with an average of 15.72 possessions a game and 1.04 goals a game.
Thomas was selected to represent Australia in the 2008 International Rules series, alongside teammate Scott Pendlebury and many other stars of the AFL.[16] Thomas had a successful International Rules Series, gathering 19 possessions in the first test, and 16 in the second. He also saved a possible Irish goal when he chased and tackled Irish player Paddy Bradley in the goalsquare late in the first test. In the second he showed the Irish how he plays the game flying high for a mark but unfortunately not holding the unfamiliar round ball.
Thomas has become a regular guest panellist on the Nine Network's The AFL Footy Show, after two appearances in 2007 and several more in 2008, including an appearance on the Grand Final Footy Show. In 2006 he was also in the player's revue dancing with several other Collingwood players.
Thomas also writes his own blog, sponsored by Telstra.[17] He writes blogs often and uploads videos about himself and life as a footballer.
Thomas also makes appearances on Network Ten's Before the Game. He was nominated twice in 2008 for the show's "Tool of the Week", and was voted "Tool of the Year" by viewers for his video blog filmed in his shower.
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (August 2008) |
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