Matthew Bate (born 24 May 1987) 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 and former player for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

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). At the conclusion of the 2012 AFL season, he was delisted by the Melbourne Football Club and subsequently drafted to the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers or colloquially the Dons, is a professional Australian rules football club that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCrac ...

's reserve side in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL). He wore the number 6 guernsey. Bate played as a tall forward or midfielder. He won the

Morrish Medal The Morrish Medal is an award presented to the best and fairest player in the premier Victorian underage Australian rules football competition during the home-and-away season. Boasting an uninterrupted lineage from 1947 onwards, the medal is cu ...

as best player in the

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 ...

in 2004. He was drafted 13th overall by Melbourne in the 2004 AFL draft and made his AFL debut in Round 5 of the 2006 season. Bate's achievements as a senior player included a nomination for the

NAB AFL Rising Star Nab or NAB may refer to: *The Nab, a fell in the English Lake District *Nab Tower, a lighthouse in England *Mazraat Nab, now the Israeli settlement and religious moshav Nov, Golan Heights *N.A.B. SC, a soccer club in Adelaide, Australia Abbreviatio ...

award for his performance against Carlton in Round 18 of the 2006 season. In the 2007 season for Melbourne, Bate finished third in the club's Best and Fairest Award (the

Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal The Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player(s) adjudged the best and fairest at the Melbourne Football Club throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League (VFL/A ...

) with 179 votes, behind the winner James McDonald (260 votes) and fellow second season player Nathan Jones (190 Votes). In 2009, he came second in the club's goal kicking. Having completed his fifth full year of senior AFL football for the Melbourne Demons, Bate appeared to have become an important member of the team who was versatile and could be utilized across half-forward, in the midfield, or at full forward. Bate has been commended for his fine marking, booming kicks and endurance. However, in 2011, he only played nine games for Melbourne, despite showing good form for Casey in the VFL. He finished second in the 2011

J. J. Liston Trophy The J. J. Liston Trophy is awarded annually to the best and fairest senior player in the Victorian Football League (VFL), which was formerly known as the Victorian Football Association (VFA). It is named after J. J. Liston, J.J. Liston, a busine ...

, awarded to the VFL's best and fairest player. During Trade Week of 2011, Matthew Bate requested a trade to the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

. However, after

Mark Neeld Mark Neeld (born 13 July 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong and Richmond in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the 1990s. He was senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club from 2012 to 2013. As of ...

was appointed as Melbourne's new coach he was retained and not traded.Matthew Bate to stay at Melbourne after failed trade
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bate, Matthew Melbourne Football Club players Casey Demons players 1987 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Eastern Ranges players 21st-century Australian sportsmen