Dion Woods facts for kids

Dion Woods, born on January 25, 1982, is a former professional Australian rules football player. He played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 2001 to 2005.

Who is Dion Woods?

Dion Woods was a talented Australian rules footballer. He was known for his skills as a defender. This means his main job on the field was to stop the opposing team from scoring goals.

Starting His Football Journey

Dion was chosen by Fremantle in the 2000 AFL draft. He was the 51st player picked overall. Before joining the AFL, he played for the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). The WAFL is a major football league in Western Australia.

A Rising Star

Dion showed great potential right from the start of his AFL career. In his first year, 2001, he won Fremantle's Beacon Award. This award is given to the best young player at the club. He was also nominated for the AFL Rising Star award. This award celebrates the most promising young players in the entire AFL.

His best season was in 2003. That year, he played in 21 matches. This included Fremantle's first-ever finals match. He was a very important part of their defence, which was sometimes called the "no-name defence" because it relied on teamwork rather than famous players.

Later Career and Retirement

After his strong 2003 season, Dion found it harder to keep his top form. In 2005, he spent most of the season playing for Perth in the WAFL. At the end of that year, he was "delisted" by Fremantle. This means the club decided not to keep him on their team anymore.

He played one more season for Perth in the WAFL before he retired from professional football. After that, he played country football for local teams like Wongan-Ballidu and Boulder.

Family Connections

Dion Woods has a family connection to other AFL players. He is a cousin to the McGrath family. Three of his cousins, Ashley McGrath, Cory McGrath, and Toby McGrath, also played in the AFL.