Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
| Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 McDonald-Tipungwuti playing in June 2017. | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Anthony William Watson McDonald-Tipungwuti | ||
| Nickname(s) | Walla, Tippa | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory | ||
| Original team(s) |
Tiwi Bombers (NTFL) Gippsland Power (TAC Cup) Essendon reserves (VFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 22, 2015 rookie draft | ||
| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Essendon | ||
| Number | 43 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2016– | Essendon | 126 (153) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2021 season. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Anthony William Watson McDonald-Tipungwuti[1] (born 22 April 1993) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by Essendon with their second selection in the 2015 rookie draft.[2] McDonald-Tipungwuti made his debut in Round 1 of the 2016 season against the Gold Coast Suns.
Early life[]
McDonald-Tipungwuti was born and raised on the Tiwi Islands, off the coast of Darwin, into an Indigenous Australian family. He played his junior football for the Tiwi Bombers in the Northern Territory Football League before moving to Victoria at the age of 17 to better his chances of an AFL career. He was adopted by Jane McDonald in Gippsland and took on her name as recognition of her contribution to his journey. Joining the family as the youngest brother of the McDonald family. He attended school at Chairo Christian School in Drouin after moving to Victoria where he learnt to speak English. He spent six years playing for the Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup and Essendon's reserves team in the VFL before realising his dream when he was rookie listed by Essendon at the end of 2015.[3]
AFL career[]
Following the many suspensions handed out to Essendon players at the end of 2015 for the supplements controversy fallout, McDonald-Tipungwuti was elevated to the Bombers' senior list.[4] He made his AFL debut in round 1 of the 2016 season against the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium, and he has retained his position in the team ever since.In July 2020, he broke the record for most consecutive AFL games for Essendon in the AFL era (1990–present).[5] His streak ended at 126 games when he did not play in round 22, 2021 due to "personal reasons."[6]
McDonald-Tipungwuti has finished in the top 10 for the , Essendon's best and fairest award, each season of his career—5th in 2018; 7th in 2016, 2017, and 2020; 8th in 2019; and 10th in 2021, despite not playing in the club's final three games. McDonald-Tipungwuti was also Essendon’s leading goalkicker in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, with 19 goals.
McDonald-Tipungwuti is notable for his explosive pace, excellent ball use, emphatic tackles, and distinctive dreadlocks.[7] His mercurial skill and well-honed game sense has made him an invaluable addition to Essendon's line-up.
McDonald-Tipungwuti has become somewhat of a cult hero, including having a punk song named after him by Australian band Picket Palace in 2019.[8]
Statistics[]
- Statistics are correct to the end of the 2021 season[9]
| G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
| B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2016 | Essendon | 43 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 186 | 127 | 313 | 89 | 67 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 8.9 | 6.0 | 14.9 | 4.2 | 3.2 |
| 2017 | Essendon | 43 | 23 | 34 | 17 | 179 | 121 | 71 | 78 | 84 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 7.8 | 5.3 | 13.0 | 3.4 | 3.7 |
| 2018 | Essendon | 43 | 22 | 26 | 14 | 160 | 110 | 270 | 75 | 99 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 7.3 | 5.0 | 12.3 | 3.4 | 4.5 |
| 2019 | Essendon | 43 | 23 | 32 | 13 | 166 | 97 | 263 | 66 | 99 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 7.2 | 4.2 | 11.4 | 2.9 | 4.3 |
| 2020[a] | Essendon | 43 | 17 | 19 | 7 | 86 | 61 | 147 | 35 | 57 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 5.1 | 3.6 | 8.7 | 2.1 | 3.6 |
| 2021 | Essendon | 43 | 20 | 34 | 14 | 129 | 72 | 201 | 49 | 56 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 6.5 | 3.6 | 10.1 | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| Career | 126 | 153 | 74 | 906 | 588 | 1265 | 392 | 462 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 7.2 | 4.7 | 10.0 | 3.1 | 3.7 | ||
- ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
References[]
- ^ "Anthony McTipungwuti on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ McGowan, Marc (27 November 2015). "Former Tiwi Bomber Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti gets rookie-list chance at Essendon". NT News. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Ralph, Jon (7 April 2016). "Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti's remarkable journey from Tiwi Islands to the AFL". Herald Sun. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Cherny, Daniel (24 March 2016). "Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Jason Holmes elevated from rookie list". The Age. Nine Publishing. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ @essendonfc (2 July 2020). "Our club record is broken tonight. A mighty achievement, Walla