Adam Contessa is a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played with the Western Bulldogs

Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

 in the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (AFL).

Contessa, who played reserves level football at North Melbourne

North Melbourne Football Club

The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

, made his debut for the Western Bulldogs in 1997.

After making just five appearances in two years, Contessa was delisted by the club at the end of the 1998 AFL season, only to be given a second chance when they re-drafted him.

He was used in a variety of roles by coach Terry Wallace, including as a tagger, and was a semi regular member of the team in 1999. After missing the first two games of the 2000 season with a virus, Contessa played the remaining 21 games, including an elimination final. He averaged just under 15 disposals for the year but could not continue that form in 2001 and was once again delisted.

Also a talented cricketer, Contessa is captain of Royal Park Brunswick in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association.