Luke McPharlin | |||
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Personal information | |||
Full name | Luke McPharlin | ||
Nickname(s) | Woosh | ||
Date of birth | 1 December 1981 | ||
Place of birth | Perth, Western Australia | ||
Original team(s) | East Fremantle (WAFL) | ||
Draft | 10th pick, 1999 National Draft (Hawthorn) | ||
Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Defender / Forward | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2000–2001 | Hawthorn | 12 (3) | |
2002–2015 | Fremantle | 244 (112) | |
Total | 256 (115) | ||
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2015.
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Career highlights | |||
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Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
Luke McPharlin (born 1 December 1981) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the Hawthorn Football Club between 2000 and 2001, and the Fremantle Football Club between 2002 and 2015. He was educated at Christ Church Grammar School in Perth where he graduated in 1999. Throughout his AFL career, McPharlin filled both key back and a key forward roles for Fremantle.
McPharlin was recruited from East Fremantle in Western Australia to the Hawthorn Football Club after being taken at Pick 10 in the 1999 AFL Draft. He made his debut in 2000, kicking a goal with his first kick, but played just 12 total games in his first two seasons at Hawthorn. Felling home sick in Melbourne, McPharlin jumped at the chance of returning to Perth, and was subsequently traded to Fremantle following the 2001 season. McPharlin battled injury early on in his career, managing just over 50 games in his first five seasons.
In 2005, McPharlin garnered Mark of the Year honours for his spectacular chestmark against the West Coast Eagles in Round Three.
McPharlin played his 200th AFL game in Round 13, 2012 against Essendon. That season, he was named in the All-Australian team as a defender.
In 2013, McPharlin helped lead Fremantle to their first ever AFL Grand Final appearance, where they were defeated by Hawthorn by 15 points, ending the club's best season in their 19-year history just short of their first premiership success.
McPharlin struggled to play regularly in 2013 and 2014 with calf and achilles-related issues, managing just 29 games over those two seasons. He also did not feature in Fremantle's finals campaigns in 2014 and 2015 due to calf problems.