Nathan Djerrkura (born 19 September 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2 ...

and the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

Nathan Djerrkura was born to Gatjil and Jenny Djerrkura in the

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention * Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band * Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehor ...

community of

Yirrkala, Northern Territory Yirrkala is a small community in East Arnhem Region, Northern Territory, Australia, southeast of the large mining town of Nhulunbuy, on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land. Its population comprises predominantly Aboriginal Australians of the ...

on 19 September 1988. His father, Gatjil, was a former

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting ...

(ATSIC) chairman before his death from a heart attack in May 2004. Djerrkura is of

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples o ...

heritage and his ancestry can be traced to the Yolngu. Djerrkura attended

Scotch College, Melbourne Scotch College is an independent school, independent Presbyterian Day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, Victoria, Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Aus ...

on an Indigenous scholarship.

AFL career

Taken at pick 25 in the 2006 National AFL Draft, Djerrkura was a highly rated young midfielder with a great work ethic and a strong body for his size. He has lightning pace and provides strong tackling pressure in the forward line. He was one of the best prospects from the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...

in 2006, and was featured on SBS in a draft special. Djerrkura played 2

NAB Cup In the Australian Football League (AFL), previously the Victorian Football League (VFL), the pre-season competition, known during its history by a variety of sponsored names and most recently as the NAB Cup, was an annual Australian rules foot ...

matches in 2007, and was close to making his debut in round 1 and 2 after strong reserves form, until he received a setback when he was injured early in the season playing football in the VFL. Djerrkura participated in the

2008 AFL Grand Final The 2008 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 2008. It was the 112th annual grand f ...

sprint, coming first in his heat and going on to come 3rd overall. On 8 October 2010, he was traded to the Western Bulldogs in return for Geelong receiving the 57th draft pick. Djerrkura retired from AFL football on 15 September 2012 after playing 21 games for the Western Bulldogs. In 2014 he joined the

Northern Territory Thunder Northern Territory Football Club, nicknamed NT Thunder, was a Northern Territory-based Australian rules football club that competed in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) between 2011 and 2019. It also competed in the VFL Women's i ...

in the

North East Australian Football League The North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) was an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. The league was formed in November 2010, and its inaugural ...

(NEAFL).

Honours

Team: * VFL Premiership (Geelong): 2007 Individual: * Under 18 All-Australian (2006) * Represented Northern Territory Under 18 (2006) * Represented Indigenous All-Stars (2009)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Djerrkura, Nathan 1988 births Living people Geelong Football Club players Western Bulldogs players Williamstown Football Club players Wanderers Football Club players Northern Territory Football Club players Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from the Northern Territory Yolngu people North Shore Football Club (GFL) players