Danielle Ponter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Danielle Ponter |
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Ponter playing for Adelaide in January 2019
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| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 8 January 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Darwin, Northern Territory | ||
| Original team | St Mary's (NTFL) Essendon (VFLW) |
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| Draft | No. 48, 2018 AFLW draft | ||
| Debut | Round 2, 2019, Adelaide v. Carlton, at Ikon Park |
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| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Adelaide | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Danielle Ponter, born on January 8, 2000, is a talented Australian rules footballer. She plays as a forward for the Adelaide Crows in the AFL Women's (AFLW) league. Before joining the AFLW, Danielle played for junior teams like St Mary's and Essendon. She was chosen by Adelaide in the 2018 AFLW draft and started playing in 2019. She even got nominated for the AFLW Rising Star award in her first year!
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Early Life and Junior Football
Danielle Ponter was born in Darwin, Northern Territory. She comes from a famous football family, the Rioli–Long family. Her uncle is Michael Long, a former star player for Essendon. Her cousin is Cyril Rioli, who played for Hawthorn.
Danielle started playing football at a young age. When she was 11, she joined the under-16 girls' team at St Mary's in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL). She was so good that she won the Sharyn Smith Medal four years in a row. This award is given to the best and fairest player in the division.
Playing for State Teams
Danielle showed her skills in big competitions early on. At 14, she played in the 2014 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships. She represented the Thunder Devils, a team made up of players from the Northern Territory and Tasmania. She played in these championships for three more years.
She also played in special "state of origin" matches for the Central Allies in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Danielle was part of the AFLW Academy. This program helps prepare talented young players for the AFLW draft. That same year, she played for Essendon's VFL Women's team, scoring six goals in six games. Before the 2018 AFLW draft, players could choose which state they wanted to play in. Danielle chose South Australia, which meant only the Adelaide Crows could pick her.
AFLW Career with Adelaide
The Adelaide Crows drafted Danielle Ponter with pick 48 in the 2018 AFLW draft. This was their fifth player picked that year. She continued to play in the NTFL before the 2019 AFLW season began.
Debut and Rising Star Nomination
Danielle didn't play in the first game of the 2019 season. Her coach, Matthew Clarke, said she was "pretty stiff to miss out." However, she made her debut in the very next game. She played as a defender, which was different from her usual forward position in junior football. This made her the first person from the famous Rioli–Long family to play in the top women's Australian rules football league.
In round 4, Danielle moved back to her usual forward position. She kicked two goals and was nominated for the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award. This award celebrates the best young players in the league.
Premiership Success
Danielle has been a part of two AFLW premiership-winning teams with Adelaide. She helped the Crows win the Grand Final in 2019. She then won another premiership in the 2022 (Season 6) Grand Final. In that 2022 Grand Final, she kicked two of Adelaide's four goals, helping them win by 13 points against Melbourne.
Leading Goalkicker and All-Australian
In the 2023 AFL Women's season, Danielle had a fantastic year. She kicked 20 goals, including goals in the finals. One of her most memorable goals was a long kick from the centre square against Richmond. With this amazing goal tally, she became the Adelaide Crows' all-time leading goalkicker, passing club legend Erin Phillips.
In the same year, Danielle was chosen for her first All-Australian team. This means she was recognized as one of the best players in the entire league for that season. In 2024, she kicked a career-best five goals in a single game against Hawthorn at Unley Oval.
