Bodhi Uwland is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who plays for the

Gold Coast Football Club The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara. The ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

Early life

Uwland was born and raised on the Gold Coast where he attended

All Saints Anglican School All Saints Anglican School ("ASAS" or "All Saints") is a private, co-educational school located in Merrimac, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1987 under the Aegis of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. The school is located on a 40-hec ...

throughout his younger years. He began playing junior football for the Burleigh Bombers in the Gold Coast under-6s competition and later switched clubs to play senior football for the

Broadbeach Cats The Broadbeach Australian Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is an Australian rules football club representing the suburb of Broadbeach on the Gold Coast. The club competes in the Queensland Australian Football League after having previousl ...

in the top tier

QAFL The Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL or "Q-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football competition organised by the AFL Queensland, contested by clubs from South East Queensland. Founded in 1903 it was previously known as the Queensl ...

state league. Uwland joined the

Gold Coast Suns Academy The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara. The ...

as a teenager and was considered a second to third round draft prospect prior to a back injury in his draft year. He was drafted by his hometown team with the 37th pick in the 2022 rookie draft.

AFL career

Uwland spent his first season at the Suns in a back brace while recovering from a stress fracture that occurred in September 2021 and was required to wear the brace for 23 hours a day at times during his recovery. A year later, he made his

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

debut for Gold Coast at 19 years of age against the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

Carrara Stadium Carrara Stadium (also known as People First Stadium under naming rights) is a stadium on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara, Queensland, Carrara. The stadium is primarily used for A ...

in round 1 of the

2023 AFL season The 2023 AFL season was the 127th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 18 clubs and ran from 16 March to 30 September, comprising a 23-m ...

. In 2023, Uwland won Gold Coast's inaugural trophy with the VFL premiership, when his side defeated in the Grand Final. Uwland described the contest as a "very high standard of footy for the VFL". Uwland solidified a spot in the Suns' best 22 in 2024 and subsequently finished second in the club's best and fairest award that year.

Statistics

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2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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Personal life

Uwland has stated he was a lifelong fan of the Gold Coast Suns prior to being drafted and was a foundation member of the club in their inaugural

2011 AFL season The 2011 AFL season was the 115th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sev ...

. He has a younger brother, Zeke, who looks set to be drafted in the

2025 AFL draft The 2025 AFL draft will consist of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) can trade and recruit players during and following the completion of the 2025 AFL season. Key dates 2025 mid-season rookie dr ...

through the same academy program as Bodhi.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uwland, Bodhi 2003 births Living people Australian rules footballers from the Gold Coast, Queensland Gold Coast Football Club players People educated at All Saints Anglican School Broadbeach Australian Football Club players