Stephen Powell

Stephen Powell (born 7 September 1976) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL).

A journeyperson in the AFL, Powell made his debut with the Western Bulldogs as a 20-year-old in 1997 . He quickly became known as a player whose hardness and aggression at the ball was invaluable, continuing this role as the Bulldogs reached preliminary finals in 1997 and 1998. Surprisingly , at the end of 1999 he was traded went to the Melbourne Football Club much to the dismay of Bulldogs fans , where he immediately became a major contributor in helping them reach a Grand Final in 2000 , and despite a bad loss , he was a shining light on the day and the Dees best and polled strongly in their Best and Fairest . Sadly , he miss all of 2001 , sidelined with a near career ended groin injury . 2002 saw him return to play , and he returned to fine form . At the end of the season , protracted contract negotiations saw him nominate to leave the club , and he was again traded , this time to the St Kilda Football Club.

His experience at the Saints was invaluable to their young and developing list , and he was an often underrated player in a midfield that included stars such as Lenny Hayes, Robert Harvey and Nick Dal Santo Such was his contribution that season , he finished third in the Trevor Barker Award .

Powell to play in St Kilda's 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup winning side.

In 2005, however, Powell's career hit a hurdle. Returning from injury in Round 9 he never quite reached the level of consistency of 2003, and lack of pace then became an issue, although he was a regular first team member. At the end of the year there were doubts about the future of the just-turned-29 Powell, but he later signed a one-year contract, meaning a sharp downward turn in speed and form limited Powell's chances.

2006 was Powell's last season of football, playing only 10 matches and announcing his retirement, in September, a week after St Kilda's exit from the 2006 AFL Finals Series.