Luke McPharlin (born 1 December 1981) is a former professional

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 played 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) for the

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers or colloquially Freo, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represen ...

between 2002 and 2015, after two seasons with the

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawth ...

. Throughout his AFL career, McPharlin predominantly played as a key defender.

AFL career

McPharlin was recruited from

East Fremantle 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 ...

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 ...

to the

after being taken at Pick 10 in the 1999

AFL Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft (sports), draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League ( ...

. He made his debut in 2000, kicking a goal with his first kick, but played just 12 total games in his first two seasons at Hawthorn while studying at Melbourne University. Feeling home sick 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 ...

, McPharlin jumped at the chance of returning 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 ...

, and was subsequently traded to Fremantle following the 2001 season. McPharlin battled injury early on in his career, managing just over 50 games in his first five seasons.Luke McPharlin 200 AFL Games
/ref> In 2005, McPharlin garnered Mark of the Year honours for his spectacular chestmark against 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 Round Three. McPharlin played his 200th AFL game in Round 13, 2012 against Essendon. That season, he was named in the

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 ...

as a defender. In 2013, McPharlin helped lead Fremantle to their first ever

AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. Prior to 1990 it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league was then known as the Victorian Football Leag ...

appearance, where they were defeated by Hawthorn by 15 points, ending the club's best season in their 19-year history just short of their first premiership success. McPharlin struggled to play regularly in 2013 and 2014 with calf and achilles-related issues, managing just 29 games over those two seasons. He also did not feature in Fremantle's finals campaigns in 2014 and 2015 due to calf problems. On 30 September 2015, McPharlin announced his retirement from the AFL after 256 games and 16 seasons in the league. McPharlin departed Fremantle sitting second on the club's games record list with 244, behind only

Matthew Pavlich Matthew Lee Pavlich (born 31 December 1981) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A versatile player, Pavlich is widely regarded as one of the p ...

who retired on 353 and David Mundy who retired on 376.

Personal life

McPharlin was the lead guitarist and singer of a Baháʼí Youth Music outfit, "Calling, Waiting, Searching". His musical skills led him to win The Footy Show's musical contest ''Screamers'' in 2005. On 24 July 2011, it was announced that McPharlin would release his debut album later that year in collaboration with local Perth act ''Stella's Kitchen''. He was educated at

Christ Church Grammar School Christ Church Grammar School is a multi-campus Independent school, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Single-sex school, single-sex Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primary and Secondary school#Australia, se ...

where he graduated in 1999. McPharlin and his wife, Kalinz, have two daughters. After retiring from football McPharlin and his family moved to Broome where he works as a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

. As of 2022, he and his family have moved back to Perth and now live in Beaconsfield. He was recently interviewed in the Mind and Soul Matters Podcast where he talks candidly about the struggles he faced early in his football career, and also about his beliefs and faith.

Honours and achievements

Team *

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football club championship trophy, awarded each year to the club with the best aggregate performance across the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) seasons. The trophy was inaugur ...

(

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

)

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Individual *2005 Mark of the Year *2012

All-Australian 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 ...

team * Fremantle Life Member: 2010 *Fremantle 25 since '95 Team

Statistics

:Luke McPharlin's player profile at AFL Tables
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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 ...

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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;", , 18 , , 8 , , 2 , , 2 , , 44 , , 33 , , 77 , , 35 , , 4 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 5.5 , , 4.1 , , 9.6 , , 4.4 , , 0.5 , - style="background-color: #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;", , 15 , , 11 , , 7 , , 4 , , 92 , , 58 , , 150 , , 58 , , 19 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 8.4 , , 5.3 , , 13.6 , , 5.3 , , 1.7 , - ! 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;", , 18 , , 12 , , 0 , , 2 , , 108 , , 64 , , 172 , , 77 , , 25 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 9.0 , , 5.3 , , 14.3 , , 6.4 , , 2.1 , - style="background-color: #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;", , 18 , , 16 , , 4 , , 1 , , 173 , , 73 , , 246 , , 106 , , 28 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 10.8 , , 4.6 , , 15.4 , , 6.6 , , 1.8 , - ! 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;", , 18 , , 19 , , 34 , , 12 , , 144 , , 56 , , 200 , , 104 , , 24 , , 1.8 , , 0.6 , , 7.6 , , 3.0 , , 10.5 , , 5.5 , , 1.3 , - style="background-color: #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;", , 18 , , 22 , , 15 , , 9 , , 184 , , 62 , , 246 , , 144 , , 27 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 8.4 , , 2.8 , , 11.2 , , 6.6 , , 1.2 , - ! 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;", , 18 , , 21 , , 8 , , 1 , , 173 , , 124 , , 297 , , 152 , , 38 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 8.2 , , 5.9 , , 14.1 , , 7.2 , , 1.8 , - style="background-color: #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;", , 18 , , 20 , , 21 , , 14 , , 192 , , 105 , , 297 , , 142 , , 30 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 9.6 , , 5.2 , , 14.8 , , 7.1 , , 1.5 , - ! 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;", , 18 , , 18 , , 20 , , 18 , , 150 , , 90 , , 240 , , 102 , , 24 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 8.3 , , 5.0 , , 13.3 , , 5.7 , , 1.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 17 , , 0 , , 3 , , 138 , , 116 , , 254 , , 97 , , 29 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 8.1 , , 6.8 , , 14.9 , , 5.7 , , 1.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 20 , , 1 , , 1 , , 191 , , 116 , , 307 , , 129 , , 35 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.6 , , 5.8 , , 15.4 , , 6.4 , , 1.8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 21 , , 1 , , 2 , , 230 , , 119 , , 349 , , 171 , , 28 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 11.0 , , 5.7 , , 16.6 , , 8.1 , , 1.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 16 , , 0 , , 0 , , 195 , , 71 , , 266 , , 137 , , 21 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 12.2 , , 4.4 , , 16.6 , , 8.6 , , 1.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 13 , , 1 , , 0 , , 132 , , 79 , , 211 , , 93 , , 12 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 10.2 , , 6.1 , , 16.2 , , 7.2 , , 0.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 18 , , 0 , , 0 , , 169 , , 114 , , 283 , , 124 , , 17 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.4 , , 6.3 , , 15.7 , , 6.9 , , 0.9 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 256 ! 115 ! 72 ! 2326 ! 1287 ! 3613 ! 1677 ! 361 ! 0.4 ! 0.3 ! 9.1 ! 5.0 ! 14.1 ! 6.6 ! 1.4

References

External links

* * *
Luke McPharlin's
profile on the Official WAFL Website {{DEFAULTSORT:McPharlin, Luke 1981 births 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century Bahá'ís Living people All-Australians (AFL) Australian Bahá'ís East Fremantle Football Club players Fremantle Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Christ Church Grammar School