Rod Waddell facts for kids

Rod Waddell, born on May 23, 1957, is a former Australian rules football player. He played in the top league, which was then called the Victorian Football League (VFL). Today, this league is known as the Australian Football League (AFL). Rod played for two well-known teams: the Carlton Blues and the Geelong Cats.

Rod Waddell's Football Journey

Starting Out in Football

Rod Waddell began his football career playing for a local team. He played for the Lalor Football Club in the Diamond Valley Football League. In 1981, he was chosen to play in the big league, the VFL.

At first, there was a mix-up about which team Rod should play for. He was mistakenly linked to the Collingwood team. But his local club, Lalor, was actually meant to be linked with the Carlton team. Because of this mistake, the Collingwood reserves team lost four points they had earned. This happened because Rod played for them without the correct paperwork.

Playing for Carlton and Geelong

After the mix-up was fixed, Rod Waddell joined the Carlton Blues. He was known for being a very fast player. He played three senior games for Carlton in 1981. He played two more games in 1982.

Later in 1982, Rod moved to the Geelong Cats. He played twenty more senior games for Geelong between 1982 and 1984. Even though he played many games, he found it hard to keep a regular spot on the team.

Family Connections

Rod Waddell comes from a family of talented footballers. He is the uncle of three other famous players. These are Daniel Motlop, Shannon Motlop, and Steven Motlop. They have all played Australian rules football at a high level.