Misplaced Pages

Daniel Wells
Wells with Collingwood in March 2017
Personal information
Full name	Daniel Wells
Date of birth	(1985-02-03) 3 February 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Port Lincoln, South Australia.
Original team(s)	Peel (WAFL)
Draft	No. 2, 2002 national draft
Height	181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Playing career
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2003–2016	North Melbourne	243 (150)
2017–2019	Collingwood	015 0(16)
Total		258 (166)
Career highlights
2× Syd Barker Medal: 2011, 2013 AFLPA best first year player: 2003 AFL Rising Star nominee: 2003 AFL Goal of the Year: 2004 Archer–Hird Medal: 2013
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Daniel Wells (born 3 February 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne and Collingwood in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

Wells was born and raised in Port Lincoln, South Australia. He played junior football there from the age of nine for local clubs including Mallee Park. A big break in his junior career came when he was selected for an Under 16 international rules football tour to Ireland, where he was chosen as captain. His adeptness to the hybrid game would see him eventually captain Australia at senior level.

Wells moved to Perth, Western Australia as a teenager and starred in the WAFL for the Peel Thunder where he caught the eyes of AFL scouts.

AFL career

Wells was selected by North Melbourne with the number two overall pick in the 2002 AFL draft and made his debut in 2003 playing 18 games and averaging 12 disposals per game. He rose to prominence in 2004 when, against Fremantle, he kicked the AFL Goal of the Year, jumping and taking the ball from ruck contest in the goal square and kicking the goal before he landed.

Wells was selected in the Australian team for the 2005 International Rules Series but was unable to play due to injury. He enjoyed a fairly good year in 2006 in which he averaged 18 disposals and finished 2nd in the Syd Barker Medal.

In 2008, Wells enjoyed a good season averaging 21 disposals and having a big impact in matches in the second half of the season during North Melbourne's winning period. He was rewarded with selection in the Australian side that lost to Ireland in that year's International Rules Series.

The next year was disappointing for Wells, as injuries restricted him to just seven games played in 2009.

In 2011 Wells produced a brilliant and consistent season when he won his first Syd Barker Medal which he shared with Andrew Swallow. He would also be named in the 40 man All Australian squad but would miss out on being part of the final 22.

Following the 2013 season, the two-time best and fairest was chosen to represent Australia in the International Rules Series as captain of the exclusively Indigenous team, a rare and memorable honour.

At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Wells announced his intentions to leave North Melbourne as a free agent and he signed with Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent in October.

On 24 May 2017, it was announced that he would wear number 67 on his guernsey, rather than his usual 3, for the round 10 Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round game against Brisbane Lions. This was to commemorate the 1967 referendum (which allowed Indigenous Australians to be counted with the general population in the census).

Wells retired in September 2019.

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2019 season

Health scare

At the end of the 2011 season Wells had shoulder surgery during which it was discovered that he had a large blood clot on his lungs. The clot was successfully removed and Wells returned to full health and resumed playing.

Media profile and personal life

In 2009, Wells appeared alongside other AFL footballers in an AFL television advertisement titled "AFL: In a League of its Own", which featured prominent AFL players playing Australian rules football at famous sporting venues around the world, and in the middle of other sports being played, including basketball, Association football and American football. In the advertisement, Wells receives a handpass from Justin Koschitzke during an association football match, and after evading a number of defenders, kicks the ball to Lance Franklin.

He is a devout Roman Catholic.

On 14 October 2006 Wells married school teacher Mariangela Laudato. They have a daughter, Laudate Angelus.

References

1. ^ Daniel Wells from Deadly Vibe 30 November 2007
2. The magic of Mallee Park By Katrina Gill 26 May 2007
3. Robinson, Chris (25 May 2018). "Friday Flashback: Daniel Wells' 'Jackie Chan' goal that sunk Fremantle". The West AustralianA. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
4. Navaratnam, Dinny (10 October 2016). "Pies set to swoop as Wells tells Roos he's leaving". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
5. "Daniel Wells becomes a Magpie, Kanga compo revealed". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
6. "Players' number tribute to indigenous breakthrough". Australian Football League. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
7. "West Aussie Daniel Wells announces retirement ahead of Collingwood preliminary final". The West Australian. 16 September 2019.
8. "Daniel Wells". AFL Tables. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
9. "AFL Commercial 2009 - In A League Of It's [sic] Own - HD". YouTube. ALZ. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
10. "Time out with Daniel Wells > Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Church in Melbourne, Australia > General Features- Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne: Church in Melbourne, Australia". Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013.

External links

• Daniel Wells's profile on the official website of the Collingwood Football Club
• Daniel Wells's playing statistics from AFL Tables

v t e Australian squad – 2003 International Rules Series
Barry Bell Bickley Bizzell Brown Burgoyne Carr Crouch Crawford Hall Harvey Hasleby Hayes Jakovich (gk) B. Johnson C. Johnson Kirk Murphy Pavlich Power Rawlings Scarlett Simpson Smith Wells Wirrpanda
Coach: Lyon

v t e Australian squad – 2008 International Rules Series
Bock (gk) Boyd Brennan Brown Burgoyne Campbell Crowley Firrito (gk) Foley Harvey (c) Hayden Montagna Motlop Murphy Osborne Pendlebury Petrie Rodan Rooke Sewell Simpson Selwood (vc) Thomas Thompson Wells
Coach: Malthouse

v t e Australian squad – 2013 International Rules Series
Armstrong Barry Betts Aa. Davey Al. Davey Edwards Ellis-Yolmen Franklin Harbrow Hill Ler. Jetta Lew. Jetta Lovett-Murray McGrath (gk) Motlop Neade Stokes Thomas Wellingham Wells (c) Yarran
Coach: O'Loughlin

• 1985 births
• Living people
• Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football
• North Melbourne Football Club players
• Australian rules footballers from South Australia
• Peel Thunder Football Club players
• Australian rules footballers from Western Australia
• Australian Roman Catholics
• People from Mandurah
• Syd Barker Medal winners
• North Ballarat Football Club players
• Collingwood Football Club players
• Australia international rules football team players
• 21st-century Australian sportsmen