Des Headland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Des Headland |
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Desmond John Headland Junior | ||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Subiaco, Western Australia | ||
| Original team | Subiaco (WAFL) | ||
| Draft | 1st overall, 1998 National draft Brisbane Lions |
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| Position(s) | Forward, Midfield | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Desmond John Headland, Jr (born 21 January 1981) is a former professional Australian rules football player. He played for two big teams, the Brisbane Lions and the Fremantle Dockers, in the Australian Football League (AFL). Des was a very talented player, chosen as the very first pick in the 1998 AFL draft. After his AFL career, he continued playing for Subiaco in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). He also tried a career in politics later on.
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Des Headland's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Des Headland began playing junior football at the Karrinyup Junior Football Club. He also played school football at Lockridge Senior High School. There, he played alongside other future AFL stars like Garth Taylor and Brett Johnson.
In 1997, Des showed his amazing talent by representing Western Australia (WA) at the Under 16 national championships. He won the best and fairest medal and was chosen for the All-Australian team. The next year, 1998, was even bigger for him. He played for WA in the AFL Under 18 Championships. He also made his senior debut for Subiaco Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). That year, he won the WAFL Rising Star award and Subiaco's best and fairest award. He even toured Ireland with a special AFL/AIS Academy team.
Because of his incredible season, Des Headland was the very first player chosen in the 1998 AFL draft by the Brisbane Lions. He was the first Indigenous player ever to be picked first in the AFL draft. In 2000, a TV show called The Draft followed Des and two other players as they prepared for their AFL careers.
Playing for Brisbane
Des Headland played his first AFL game for Brisbane in 1999, scoring two goals. He played only a few games that year. In 2000, he played nine games, including Brisbane's final matches.
In 2001, Des was given the number 1 jersey. He played most of the regular season games. However, he missed out on Brisbane's first premiership win because of his form. Despite this, he played brilliantly for Brisbane's reserve team in their winning Grand Final. This helped him stay with the team for the 2002 season.
The 2002 season started slowly for Des, but he soon found his amazing form. He kicked 30 goals and played a huge part in Brisbane's second premiership. This time, Des proudly earned a premiership medal!
Moving to Fremantle
At the end of 2002, the Fremantle Dockers really wanted Des Headland to join their team. After a complicated trade, Des returned to Western Australia to play for Fremantle. Fans had high hopes for him.
In 2003, Des played well for Fremantle. He even had two "best on ground" performances, meaning he was the best player on the field in those games. However, injuries, like an ankle injury in 2004 and a calf strain in 2005, made it hard for him to play his best consistently.
In one game in 2003, Des was one of seven Indigenous players representing Fremantle. This was the most Indigenous players ever to play in a single AFL team at that time. Fremantle also scored their highest ever score in that game, beating the Kangaroos by a lot.
Des Headland's Career Stats
Here's a quick look at Des Headland's AFL career statistics:
| G | Goals | B | Behinds | K | Kicks | H | Handballs | D | Disposals | M | Marks | T | Tackles |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 1999 | Brisbane Lions | 19 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 10 | 29 | 9 | 1 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 6.3 | 3.3 | 9.7 | 3.0 | 0.3 |
| 2000 | Brisbane Lions | 19 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 48 | 24 | 72 | 22 | 16 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 8.0 | 2.4 | 1.8 |
| 2001 | Brisbane Lions | 1 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 147 | 51 | 198 | 52 | 38 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 7.4 | 2.6 | 9.9 | 2.6 | 1.9 |
| 2002 | Brisbane Lions | 1 | 20 | 34 | 24 | 293 | 95 | 388 | 139 | 54 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 14.7 | 4.8 | 19.4 | 7.0 | 2.7 |
| 2003 | Fremantle | 11 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 259 | 89 | 348 | 94 | 58 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 11.8 | 4.0 | 15.8 | 4.3 | 2.6 |
| 2004 | Fremantle | 11 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 232 | 105 | 337 | 77 | 73 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 11.6 | 5.3 | 16.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| 2005 | Fremantle | 11 | 15 | 20 | 17 | 166 | 61 | 227 | 74 | 40 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 11.1 | 4.1 | 15.1 | 4.9 | 2.7 |
| 2006 | Fremantle | 11 | 20 | 21 | 12 | 259 | 74 | 333 | 104 | 41 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 13.0 | 3.7 | 16.7 | 5.2 | 2.1 |
| 2007 | Fremantle | 11 | 17 | 25 | 15 | 213 | 88 | 301 | 73 | 34 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 12.5 | 5.2 | 17.7 | 4.3 | 2.0 |
| 2008 | Fremantle | 11 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 55 | 30 | 85 | 19 | 16 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 9.2 | 5.0 | 14.2 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| 2009 | Fremantle | 11 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 99 | 38 | 137 | 57 | 26 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 11.0 | 4.2 | 15.2 | 6.3 | 0.9 |
| 2010 | Fremantle | 11 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 12 | 47 | 16 | 8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 7.0 | 2.4 | 9.4 | 3.2 | 1.6 |
| Career | 166 | 177 | 132 | 1825 | 677 | 2502 | 736 | 405 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 11.0 | 4.1 | 15.1 | 4.4 | 2.4 | ||
Life After AFL
Back to Subiaco
After finishing his AFL career with Fremantle in 2010, Des Headland went back to play for his old WAFL team, Subiaco, in the 2011 season.
Trying Out Politics
In July 2013, Des Headland decided to try something new: politics! He became a candidate for the Palmer United Party. This was a political party started by Australian businessman Clive Palmer. Des ran for a seat called Durack. He announced his decision just one day after saying he was still thinking about it.
