Madison Prespakis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Madison Prespakis |
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Prespakis post-match with Essendon in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Madison Prespakis | ||
| Date of birth | 2 November 2000 | ||
| Original team | Melbourne University (VFLW) | ||
| Draft | No. 3, 2018 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 1, 2019, Carlton v. North Melbourne, at North Hobart Oval |
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| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Essendon | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Madison Prespakis (born November 2, 2000) is a talented Australian rules footballer. She plays for the Essendon Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) league. Before joining Essendon, she played for the Carlton Football Club from 2019 to 2022. Madison is a midfielder, known for her amazing skills on the field. She won the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award in her very first season and the 2020 AFL Women's best and fairest award in her second season. She has been named an AFL Women's All-Australian three times. She has also won the best and fairest award for Carlton three times and was the first Essendon best and fairest winner. She is also one of Essendon's record holders for the most games played, with 33 games.
Contents
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Madison's mother is an Indigenous Australian from the Djadjawurrung tribe. Madison grew up supporting the Essendon Football Club. She started playing football at just four years old through the Auskick program in Romsey. At first, she played in boys' teams. Later, she joined the under-15 girls' team at the Sunbury club.
Junior Career Highlights
In 2017, Madison played for the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup Girls league. Her team won the premiership. She was also named in the league's team of the year. She finished second in the league's best and fairest award. Madison also played for Vic Metro in the 2017 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships and was named in the All-Australian squad. In October, she was chosen for the 2018 AFLW Academy squad, which helps young players train with professional teams.
In 2018, Madison became the captain of the Calder Cannons. She won their best and fairest award by a huge margin. She was again named in the TAC Cup Girls Team of the Year and tied for the league best and fairest award. She also played in the 2018 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships again. She won the competition's most valuable player award and Vic Metro's most valuable player award. She was also named in the All-Australian team. Madison also played six games for Melbourne University in the VFL Women's (VFLW) league.
Before the 2018 AFL Women's draft, many experts thought Madison would be one of the first players chosen. She wanted to stay close to her family in Melbourne. This meant that other teams couldn't pick her, allowing Carlton to choose her with the third pick.
AFL Women's Career
Playing for Carlton (2019–2022)
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Carlton picked Madison with their first choice in the 2018 AFL Women's draft. She played her first AFL Women's game in 2019 against North Melbourne. In her second game, she was nominated for the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award. She kicked one goal and had 20 disposals in that game. Madison played in the 2019 AFL Women's Grand Final against Adelaide, where Carlton lost. She was one of Carlton's best players in that game.
After her first season, where she averaged 19 disposals and kicked seven goals, Madison won the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award. She was also named in the 2019 AFL Women's All-Australian team. She won the AFLW Players' best first-year player award and tied for Carlton's best and fairest award. It was an amazing first season for her.
Before the 2020 season, a journalist named Sarah Black ranked Madison as one of the top 30 players in the AFLW. Madison was chosen for the "Team of the Week" multiple times. She was also selected for the 2020 AFL Women's All-Australian team. She won her second Carlton best and fairest award. At just 19 years old, she won the 2020 AFL Women's best and fairest award. This made her the first Indigenous player to win this important award.
Before the 2021 season, Sarah Black ranked Madison as the number one player in the AFLW. Madison played very well in many games. In one game, she had 24 disposals and kicked a goal. However, she was suspended for one match because of a dangerous tackle. This meant she couldn't win the AFL Women's best and fairest award that year. When she returned, she played another great game, even though she hurt her elbow.
In 2022, Madison was still considered one of the top players. She was Carlton's best player in several games. In one game against Geelong, she had a career-high 29 disposals. This game was special because she played against her younger sister, Georgie, for the first time. Madison continued to be one of Carlton's best players throughout the season.
Joining Essendon (2022–Present)
In April 2022, Madison and her teammate Georgia Gee decided to join Essendon's first-ever AFLW team. They both signed with Essendon in May.
Before the 2023 season, Sarah Black ranked Madison as one of the top 30 players in the AFLW again.
In 2024, Madison was one of Essendon's best players in several games. She had 27 disposals in Essendon's win over West Coast.
Statistics
Updated to the end of the 2024 season.
| G | Goals | B | Behinds | K | Kicks | H | Handballs | D | Disposals | M | Marks | T | Tackles |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2019 | Carlton | 4 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 113 | 59 | 172 | 17 | 28 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 12.6 | 6.6 | 19.1 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 5 |
| 2020 | Carlton | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 88 | 61 | 149 | 19 | 21 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 12.6 | 8.7 | 21.3 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 15± |
| 2021 | Carlton | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 79 | 90 | 169 | 13 | 33 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 9.9 | 11.3 | 21.1 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 10 |
| 2022 (S6) | Carlton | 4 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 90 | 115 | 205 | 24 | 35 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 20.5 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 7 |
| 2022 (S7) | Essendon | 4 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 119 | 118 | 237 | 22 | 49 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 11.9 | 11.8 | 23.7 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 17 |
| 2023 | Essendon | 4 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 146 | 142 | 288 | 32 | 56 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 13.3 | 12.9 | 26.2 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 10 |
| 2024 | Essendon | 4 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 176 | 105 | 281 | 32 | 37 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 14.7 | 8.8 | 23.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 18 |
| Career | 67 | 29 | 24 | 811 | 690 | 1501 | 159 | 259 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 12.1 | 10.3 | 22.4 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 82 | ||
Family Life
Madison's younger sister, Georgie, also plays AFLW. She was chosen with the second pick in the 2021 AFL Women's draft and currently plays for Geelong.
Honours and Achievements
- AFL Women's best and fairest: 2020
- Essendon equal games record holder
- 3× AFL Women's All-Australian team: 2019, 2020, S7
- 3× Carlton best and fairest: 2019, 2020, S6
- Essendon best and fairest: S7
- AFL Women's Rising Star: 2019
- AFLPA AFLW best first-year player: 2019
