Trent Croad
| Trent Croad | |||
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Trent Eric Croad | ||
| Date of birth | 9 March 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | New Zealand | ||
| Original team(s) | Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | #3, 1997 National Draft, Hawthorn | ||
| Height / weight | 190cm / 92 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Defender / Forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1998–2001 | Hawthorn | 84 (80) | |
| 2002–2003 | Fremantle | 38 (60) | |
| 2004–2010 | Hawthorn | 100 (49) | |
| Total | 222 (189) | ||
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1999–2008 | Victoria | 2 (0) | |
| International team honours | |||
| 1999–2005 | Australia | 6 | |
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2008.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Trent Eric Croad (born 9 March 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL).
During his 222-game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing Australia and Victoria on multiple occasions.
Born in New Zealand, the grandson of Eric Boggs, an All Blacks rugby union player between 1946–1949 including the tour of South Africa, Trent migrated with his family to Australia and grew up in Narre Warren in Victoria. He began playing at a young age with Endeavour Hills and the Narre Warren Junior Football Club and attended De La Salle College, Malvern.
He was scouted by recruiters and as an 18-year-old and nominated for the 1997 AFL Draft. Croad was invited to the AFL Draft camp where he set the draft camp record for a standing vertical jump at 83 cm, which remains a decade later.
Hawthorn picked up Croad with the third overall selection in the draft. He started out as a defender, playing at either centre half-back or fullback. But he showed his versatility as his career went on, being able to play in any number of key positions.
Croad was traded from Hawthorn to the Fremantle Dockers at the end of 2001. The picks given up by Fremantle were used by Hawthorn to select current Hawthorn stars Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell, whilst Luke McPharlin joined Croad in moving west. While Croad was reasonable but not spectacular at the Dockers, in 2002, he was Fremantle's leading goalkicker with 42 goals. The following season Croad lost confidence and kicked 18 goals. He cited homesickness and asked to be traded back to Victoria at the end of 2003.
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