Nick Duigan
| Nick Duigan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Nick Duigan | ||
| Date of birth | 7 September 1984 | ||
| Original team(s) | Norwood (SANFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 70, 2010 National Draft, Carlton | ||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2011–2013 | Carlton | 43 (10) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2013. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Nick Duigan /ˈdaɪɡən/[1] (born 7 September 1984)[2] is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Background
[edit]Originally from South Australia, Duigan grew up supporting the Adelaide Crows and playing junior football for Pembroke School in Adelaide[2] and also was a junior player at the Walkerville Football Club. Throughout his junior career, he was troubled by injuries and had a hard time stringing a series of games together until after the age of twenty.[1]
Duigan is a registered psychologist;[3] throughout his early 20s, Duigan studied psychology at university, and by the end of 2010, then aged 26, Duigan had completed his master's degree in psychology.[4] During the same period, Duigan played football semi-professionally for the Norwood Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), primarily as a defender. He appeared in a total of 87 senior games for the Redlegs during that time,[5] and was the club's vice-captain in 2010.[6] He finished tenth in the 2010 Magarey Medal,[7] and kicked the game-winning goal in Norwood's come-from-behind preliminary final victory against the Eagles.[6]
Duigan is the son of former South Australian Member of Parliament for the seat of Adelaide, Michael Duigan.
AFL career
[edit]Duigan left Norwood at the end of 2010, intending to travel to Sudan for a year to do volunteer work.[4] However, he also nominated for the AFL draft, and was drafted by the Carlton Football Club with its fifth selection (No. 70 overall).[2] The selection surprised many, as it was very rare at the time for a player as old as Duigan (26), and without previous AFL experience, to be drafted.[5] Duigan was given guernsey number 34.
Playing in defence, Duigan impressed for the Blues during the pre-season, and he made his senior AFL debut in the club's first round match against Richmond.[8] He immediately became a regular in the Carlton backline in the 2011, and he was noted for both his ability and his courage.[9] He played twenty-two games for the year and won Carlton's Best First-Year Player award.[10] He played sixteen matches in 2012.
In 2013, Duigan was elevated to the club's five-man leadership group;[11] however, he struggled to retain his place in the team on form, playing only three home-and-away matches for the year. He was famously brought into Carlton's 2013 elimination final team as a late replacement after Brock McLean was injured at the very end of the warm-up, and he kicked four goals as Carlton overcame a 32-point deficit to defeat Richmond in front of a crowd of 94,690.[12]
Duigan had intended to continue playing in 2014, but after struggling with an ongoing knee injury during the first month of the pre-season, he announced his retirement on 9 December 2013.[13]
Post-AFL career
[edit]In 2014, Duigan moved Geraldton, Western Australia, to take a role with mental health services provider Youth Focus. He also took a role as coach, with ambitions to play should his knee heal sufficiently, with the Towns Football Club in the Great Northern Football League.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b de Bolfo, T., Blues shore up the spine, says Hughes Archived 28 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 23 March 2011
- ^ a b c Carlton Football Club Selection 70 - Nick Duigan Archived 28 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ Windley, Matt. "AFL players often get labelled meatheads who can only kick a footy. but who is the smartest player at your club?". The Advertiser. News Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ a b Gleeson, M., The Age, "Out of Africa and into Carlton", 19 November 2010, Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ a b Morgan, K, The Messenger, "Legs pair's dream AFL call-up," 18 November 2010, Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ a b Davis, E. SANFL News Archived 17 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, "Norwood defeat Eagles", 26 September 2010, Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ Norwood Football Club 2010 Magarey Medal Count, Retrieved 23 March 2011
- ^ Windley, M., Herald Sun, "Carlton to play three debutants against Richmond in season opener", 23 March 2011, Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ Pierik, Jon (5 June 2011). "Duigan talent drawing attention". The Age. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- ^ "Murphy wins his first John Nicholls Medal". Carlton Football Club. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- ^ "Blues name 2013 leadership group". Carlton Football Club. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Jon Ralph (8 September 2013). "Carlton kicks Richmond out of AFL finals in thrilling elimination final comeback". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ "Carlton given permission to place Nick Duigan on long-term injury list". Herald Sun. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
- ^ Dale Miller (22 February 2014). "Twist takes Duigan to Geraldton". The West Australian. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
External links
[edit]
- Nick Duigan's profile on the official website of the Carlton Football Club
- Nick Duigan's playing statistics from AFL Tables