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For the American composer, see Mark Mercury.
Australian rules footballer, born 1974
Mark Mercuri (born 21 February 1974) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. He played in the 1993 premiership winning team which defeated Carlton and in the 2000 premiership team which defeated Melbourne. In the 1999 AFL season, Mercuri was one of the premier players of the competition, finishing runner-up in the Brownlow Medal, and earning a lucrative and rarely heard-of 5-year contract.
Mercuri played his 200th AFL game in round three, 2004 against West Coast in the match best known for James Hird's match-winning goal which broke a 131–all deadlock with less than a minute remaining. He retired following Essendon's 10-point semi-final defeat to Geelong at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
In 2005, there was talk of a comeback, with Mercuri contemplating nominating for the pre-season draft. This never eventuated.
^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2003). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (5th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 494. ISBN1-74095-032-1.
"Magnificent Mercuri". Essendon Football Club. 12 April 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
Anzac Medals were awarded from 2000 onwards, with medals for the first five matches awarded retrospectively. No Anzac Day match was played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.