David Selwyn Burralung Merringwuy Galarrwuy Wyal Wirrpanda ( ; born 3 August 1979) is a former

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, best known for his career with the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...

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 ...

(AFL). Selected by West Coast during the 1995 draft period, Wirrpanda made his debut for the club during the following season. Having played his first game for West Coast at the age of 16 years and 268 days, he remains the youngest player to have played a senior game for the club. Limited by injuries in his first few seasons, Wirrpanda did not establish himself as a regular player until the early 2000s, usually playing out of a

back pocket Vulfpeck is an American funk/soul music, soul band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2011. Founded by multi-instrumentalists Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss, and bassist Joe Dart, the band has released four extended plays, six studio a ...

or across a half-back flank. Outstanding form in these positions led to his selection in the 2005

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

, and the following season he was a member of the West Coast premiership side that defeated in the 2006 grand final. Often playing as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

towards the end of his career, Wirrpanda retired at the end of the 2009 season, finishing with 227 games for the club. Since the conclusion of his playing career, he has involved himself in charity work, including the establishment of the Wirrpanda Foundation, an organisation supporting

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

s. Wirrpanda has also expressed a desire to enter politics, and unsuccessfully contested 2013 federal election as the National Party's candidate for the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Early life

Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and of Yorta Yorta indigenous heritage, Wirrpanda was raised in

Shepparton Shepparton () (Yorta Yorta language, Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River (Victoria), Goulburn River in northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Mel ...

, Victoria. He attended Parkmore Primary School in Forest Hill, where in a school football match he kicked 32 goals in one game. He went on to attend Worawa Aboriginal College in

Healesville Healesville is a town in Victoria, Australia, 64 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Healesville recorded a population of 7,589 in the 2021 census. H ...

, which had been established by his mother's family. He began his football career with Healesville under 9's, and subsequently progressed to the Eastern Ranges team in the under-18

TAC Cup The Talent League (also known as the Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the NAB League and TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition based in Melbourne and run by the Australian Foot ...

Football career

Wirrpanda starred for Eastern Ranges in the

during 1995, and was scouted by

recruiters and brought to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

by longtime Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett.AFL Record. Round 9, 2009. Slattery Publishing. pg 75. Wirrpanda made his debut with West Coast in Round 5 of the 1996 AFL Season, at the age of 16 years, 268 days, and remains the Eagles' youngest ever debutant. Unfortunately, injuries and fluctuating form hurt him early in his career, and he managed only 12 of a possible 71 AFL games (including finals) in his first 3 seasons. During these early years, he also played 25 games for

East Perth East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

in the WAFL. By the mid-2000s, Wirrpanda's career started to get on track, and he became a consistent contributor for the Eagles, playing mainly as a small defender in the

or half back flank. After a solid year in 2004, he had a stellar 2005 season in which he won selection in the

, his trademark clearances from defence being a vital part of the Eagles' success that year. He continued to do well in 2006, marking his 150th AFL game with a great performance. Wirrpanda nearly missed out on the 2006 AFL Grand Final through injury, but came back to take his place in the side. He came in at the expense of Jaymie Graham, who had played every game of that season up until then, and out of respect for his younger teammate, Wirrpanda played in the match with Graham's #22 written on his hand. In 2007 and 2008, Wirrpanda has shared time between his usual backline post and pinch-hitting up forward for his team, using his excellent foot skills to both set up play and score some crucial goals for the Eagles in the process. In 2008, Wirrpanda was met solidly by Geelong's Gary Ablett in a match at Skilled Stadium. The incident sparked some debate among the football media and fans alike, as although photographs revealed head high contact was made during the

bump Bump or bumps may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Bump (dance), a dance from the 1970s disco era * ''BUMP'' (comics), 2007-08 limited edition comic book series Fictional characters * Bobby Bumps, titular character of a series of American si ...

, Wirrpanda had also slid to the ground, assuring that Ablett had upheld his duty of care as best he could when bumping an opposition player, and therefore not resulting in a suspension for the incident. At the conclusion of Round 22, 2009, he had played in 227 of a possible 327 matches for the Eagles (including finals), and has scored 131 goals, averaging 16.6 disposals for his career. In September 2009, Wirrpanda announced his retirement citing he may be standing in the way of another younger playing being fast tracked within the club. After the birth of his son, Wirrpanda also expressed his desire to move on citing his fatherhood is the most important aspect of his life, but also spending more time with the foundation that bears his name. Wirrpanda has also announced his wishes to remain part of the West Coast Eagles, saying that he may one day serve on the board.

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 5 , , 4 , , 5 , , 23 , , 18 , , 41 , , 8 , , 9 , , 0.8 , , 1.0 , , 4.6 , , 3.6 , , 8.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 6 , , 2 , , 2 , , 30 , , 21 , , 51 , , 11 , , 8 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 5.0 , , 3.5 , , 8.5 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 1 , , 1 , , 0 , , 4 , , 1 , , 5 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 5.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 24 , , 4 , , 4 , , 278 , , 126 , , 404 , , 91 , , 27 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 11.6 , , 5.3 , , 16.8 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 8 , , 6 , , 5 , , 129 , , 28 , , 157 , , 33 , , 8 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 16.1 , , 3.5 , , 19.6 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 21 , , 5 , , 7 , , 245 , , 57 , , 302 , , 66 , , 30 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 11.7 , , 2.7 , , 14.4 , , 3.1 , , 1.4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 21 , , 26 , , 22 , , 254 , , 72 , , 326 , , 70 , , 49 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 12.1 , , 3.4 , , 15.5 , , 3.3 , , 2.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 19 , , 10 , , 10 , , 251 , , 57 , , 308 , , 62 , , 26 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 13.2 , , 3.0 , , 16.2 , , 3.3 , , 1.4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 22 , , 2 , , 3 , , 259 , , 104 , , 363 , , 56 , , 59 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 11.8 , , 4.7 , , 16.5 , , 2.5 , , 2.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 20 , , 2 , , 2 , , 297 , , 111 , , 408 , , 93 , , 34 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 14.9 , , 5.6 , , 20.4 , , 4.7 , , 1.7 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 24 , , 8 , , 7 , , 297 , , 115 , , 412 , , 90 , , 48 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 12.4 , , 4.8 , , 17.2 , , 3.8 , , 2.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 21 , , 25 , , 12 , , 268 , , 94 , , 362 , , 109 , , 43 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 12.8 , , 4.5 , , 17.2 , , 5.2 , , 2.0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 17 , , 25 , , 16 , , 212 , , 63 , , 275 , , 88 , , 30 , , 1.5 , , 0.9 , , 12.5 , , 3.7 , , 16.2 , , 5.2 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 44 , , 18 , , 11 , , 3 , , 257 , , 94 , , 351 , , 85 , , 37 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 14.3 , , 5.2 , , 19.5 , , 4.7 , , 2.1 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 227 ! 131 ! 98 ! 2804 ! 961 ! 3765 ! 862 ! 408 ! 0.6 ! 0.4 ! 12.4 ! 4.2 ! 16.6 ! 3.8 ! 1.8

Personal life

For most of his career, Wirrpanda has been known as "Wirrpunda", but in 2005 it was pointed out that his actual birth name was Wirrpanda. In the '' West Australian'' before the 2006 season Wirrpanda said that he had allowed his name to be misspelt to ensure it was pronounced correctly. Wirrpanda is also known for his community work in helping to improve the lives of young Indigenous Australians, first and foremost through The David Wirrpanda Foundation, which he launched in 2005. He was named the 9th most influential Aboriginal Australian by '' The Bulletin'' magazine in 2007 and 2008. He also received the 2009 award for Young Western Australian of the Year.Australian of the Year Award 2009
National Australia Day Council He and model Shannon McGuire have two sons together, Marley, born in August 2009, which caused him to miss West Coast's Round 22 match against Richmond that was played the previous evening and Eli born in 2010. He hosts a Saturday morning radio show called "Dead Set Legends" in Perth on MIX 94.5. In 2010, Wirrpanda participated in the tenth season of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'', partnering with Liza van Pelt. However, in the competition's eighth round, he unexpectedly withdrew to concentrate on his foundation, becoming the first contestant to quit in the show's history. In 2015 Wirrpanda was caught drunk driving recording a reading of 0.154, more than three times the legal limit. In court he was found guilty of driving under the influence, fined $900 and lost his driver's licence for 10 months.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wirrpanda, David 1979 births Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football 21st-century Indigenous Australian people All-Australians (AFL) Australian indigenous rights activists East Perth Football Club players Eastern Ranges players West Coast Eagles players West Coast Eagles premiership players Australian rules footballers from Shepparton Living people National Party of Australia politicians Australia international rules football team players VFL/AFL premiership players