Chance Bateman
| Chance Bateman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 21 June 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Perth, Western Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | Perth Football Club | ||
| Draft | No. 48, 1999 AFL Draft | ||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Perth Football Club | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2000–2012 | Hawthorn | 177 (67) | |
| International team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2006 | Australia | 2 (1) | |
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2012.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Chance Bateman (born 21 June 1981 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian rules footballer who formerly played for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League (AFL) and has now returned to his club of origin, the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).
Chance Bateman is Hawthorn's first indigenous player to reach 100 games, first Aboriginal life member, and the club's longest-serving WA recruit.
Chance learnt his football during his formative years in York and then with Perth in Westar Rules. He was an under 18 all Australian and in the squad for the Westar state side in 1999.
Drafted by Hawthorn at pick 48 in the 1999 AFL Draft, the Hawks considered themselves lucky as they thought he would have been picked up earlier. His light frame made him a longer term prospect as he would require to develop more physically. His early career was interrupted by a variety of injuries. Each time he bounced back and became a key member of the team.
Bateman said the true sense of worth for Aboriginal players was founded on their family's value and strength and that fact provided him with his toughest times when he lost his sister Candace in a tragic train accident in 2001 he was desperate to return home to be with his parents and was shattered when he could not work a trade with West Coast or Fremantle.
I'd stay at Hawthorn for as long as they'd have me, they've been fantastic for me. You don't really think too much about the milestones as they're coming up, but as you pass them you sort of look back with a bit of pride. I'm our first indigenous life member and to have had a small part in the club's history is pretty special.
In 2006 he managed to play 21 games and came 12th in the club Best and Fairest award. Chance Bateman was known for his trademark dreadlocks. Chance Bateman was one of Hawthorn's most valuable players. His speed and hardness at the ball while playing on the wing allowed the team to play a free flowing brand of game. He averaged 20 possessions a game in his 21 games in 2006 and was hitting top form just before the 2007 season.
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