Mathew Stokes
| Mathew Stokes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Stokes 2011 Premiership Parade.
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Mathew Stokes | ||
| Nickname(s) | Stokesy | ||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Northern Territory, Australia | ||
| Original team(s) |
Palmerston Magpies (NTFL) Woodville-West Torrens (SANFL) |
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| Draft | No. 61, 2005 National Draft | ||
| Height / weight | 176 cm / 75 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Forward / Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Essendon | ||
| Number | 48 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2006–2015 | Geelong | 189 (203) | |
| 2016 | Essendon | 11 (6) | |
| Total | 200 (209) | ||
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2007–2009 | Indigenous All-Stars | 2 (0) | |
| 2008 | Dream Team | 1 (1) | |
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2008.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Mathew Stokes (born 22 November 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the Geelong Football Club and Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Mathew Stokes grew up in Darwin, Australia, with his parents John and Jennifer, and three sisters Jaylene, Anne-Maree and Amy. Stokes' ancestors were Indigenous Australian (Larrakia), Filipino and Spanish. His father is a life member of the Palmerston Magpies, having played 148 games for them in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL). Growing up, Stokes played basketball, cricket and rugby league, but age restrictions limited his involvement in Australian rules football until he was 11 years old. Stokes' main sporting passion was for basketball, where he played at every junior level growing up and won an under-14s best and fairest award whilst still only seven years of age. When he was finally eligible to play football as an under-14, Stokes forced his way into the Palmerston Magpies senior team at only 14 years of age. In 2002, he was a member of Palmerston's premiership-winning side, and it was then that he began to switch his focus from basketball to football. Stokes' achievements in the local junior leagues saw him selected to represent Australia in the under-17's national team, alongside future AFL players Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Nick Dal Santo.
Stokes was overlooked in the 2002 AFL Draft though, and moved to Adelaide to begin playing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) for Woodville-West Torrens. Taking up a part-time job as a zookeeper off the field, Stokes continued to establish himself in the SANFL over the next three years. His persistence paid off when he was selected with the 61st pick in the 2005 AFL Draft by the Geelong Football Club.
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