Xavier Duursma (born 7 July 2000) is a 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 oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who plays for the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). He was recruited by with the 18th draft pick in the

2018 AFL Draft The 2018 AFL draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) traded and recruited players following the completion of the 2018 AFL season. For the first time, the AFL draft featured live trading ...

AFL career

Duursma made his AFL debut in Port Adelaide's win over

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in the opening round of the

2019 AFL season The 2019 AFL season was the 123rd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

. He scored a goal on debut. In Round 6, Duursma earned the Rising Star nomination, following Port's 16 point win over . He quickly became well known for his bow and arrow goal celebration. Following the conclusion of the

2020 AFL season The 2020 AFL season was the 124th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

, which concluded with a preliminary final loss to , Duursma inherited the number seven guernsey from retired veteran

Brad Ebert Bradley Ebert (born 2 April 1990) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the West Coast Eagles and . His father Craig Ebert played 112 games for during the 1980s. He is the nephew of R ...

. Duursma was traded to at the end of the

2023 AFL season The 2023 AFL season is the 127th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season will fea ...

Personal life

Duursma is the nephew of former ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and player

Jamie Duursma Jamie Duursma (born 14 November 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Sydney Swans, Brisbane Bears and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the late 1980s. Duursma, after a stint with the Hawtho ...

. His sister Yasmin has played for and in the

AFLW AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 1 ...

, while his brother Zane was drafted to in the

2023 AFL draft The 2023 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 2023 AFL season. Key Dates 2023 mid-season rookie d ...

. He was educated at Foster Secondary College, where he was school captain in 2018. He played junior football fo
Foster Tigers
in the

Alberton Football League The Alberton Football Netball League was an Australian rules football league covering the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. History 1946: Reformation of Alberton Football Association (League) The Alberton Football Association wa ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duursma, Xavier 2000 births Living people Port Adelaide Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)