Dale Thomas (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Dale Robert Jordan Thomas (born 21 June 1987) is a professional 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...

 player currently with the Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 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...

.

Early life

Dale Thomas grew up in Drouin
Drouin, Victoria
Drouin is a major service town, located in West Gippsland, east of Melbourne. Its local government area is the Shire of Baw Baw. The town is supposedly named after a Frenchman who invented a chlorination process for the extraction of ore or an Aboriginal word meaning "north wind". New estate...

 with his mother Kaye, father Darryl and his sister Jessica
Jessica Thomas
Jessica Thomas is an Australian netball player. Having grown up in her home town of Drouin, West Gippsland she was added to the Melbourne Phoenix squad in the middle of the 2005 Commonwealth Bank Trophy, as a replacement for Kara Richards who had to withdraw due to school and travel issues...

. His parents separated when he was 13. As a child, he idolised Geelong Cats superstar Gary Ablett, who also grew up in Drouin. He idolised Gary Ablett so much that he used to repeatedly watch his grandfather's tapes of Ablett and Geelong and recreate Ablett's mark
Mark (Australian football)
A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....

s and goals. His favourite highlight was Ablett's one handed mark over Collingwood's Gary Pert
Gary Pert
Gary Pert is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and businessman. Gary is the son of Brian Pert.-Fitzroy career:Pert was recruited from Bulleen to Fitzroy and made his debut for the Fitzroy Football Club in 1982...

 in Round 7, 1994
1994 AFL season
-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. An additional 9 games were played during the finals series. It was the first season that the AFL implemented a top 8 team finals series...

.

Thomas played his first junior football at age eight, later moving on to play with the Hallora under-12s. His mother was dedicated to her children's sporting dreams; she kicked footballs with Dale and shot netballs with sister Jessica.

According to his father, during his first stint as captain of the under-14 Drouin team he won the toss but forgot which direction he had chosen and kicked a behind for Tooradin, the opposing team. Regardless, Drouin won by ten goals and Dale's behind was Tooradin's only score.

In 2003 he was selected in the Under-16 Vic Country squad playing on the wing. He was later selected in the 2005 Vic Country squad playing on the half forward flank. He was the Vice-Captain of the Gippsland Power squad in 2005, scoring goals in 14 out of 18 games for the Power. He was one of four school captains at Drouin Secondary College in 2005. Thomas collected 20 disposals and kicked four goals in a best-on-ground performance in Gippsland Power's TAC Cup
TAC Cup
The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....

 premiership, and was selected in the TAC Cup Team of the Year.

In the TAC Cup 2005 Grand Final he won best on ground with 4 goals and 20 disposals. He took a high flying specky
Specky
A spectacular mark is a term for a type of mark in Australian rules football...

 in the second quarter, and kicked a dribbling goal from the boundary. He was also named as an All-Australian in the 2005 Under-18 Championships as a half forward flank, in which he represented Vic Country.

Thomas was regarded by many media commentators as one of the most likely to be picked high in the AFL draft and certainly to have attracted the eye of AFL recruiters.

AFL career

Dale Thomas was selected by Collingwood with their first pick in the 2005 AFL Draft
2005 AFL Draft
The 2005 AFL Draft was the 2005 instance of the AFL Draft, the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.The 2005 Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period...

 (the second pick overall).

2006 AFL season

Thomas made his debut in the AFL in round one of the 2006 AFL Season
2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...

, in Collingwood's match against the Adelaide Crows
Adelaide Crows
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....

. Thomas gathered 16 disposals, kicked two goals and took a spectacular mark on an Adelaide opponent's back. In Collingwood's round two win against Hawthorn gathered twenty disposals and was nominated for the 2006 AFL Rising Star award. By round two he had become a cult figure at Collingwood.

During the 2006 ANZAC Day
The ANZAC Day clash
The Anzac Day clash is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League teams Collingwood and Essendon, held on Anzac Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground .-Early history of Australian rules on Anzac Day:...

 match against Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 Thomas was nominated for both Mark of the Year
Mark of the Year
The annual Mark of the Year competition is a sporting award that celebrates each season's best mark...

 and Goal of the Year
Goal of the Year (Australia)
The Goal of the Year is a competition for the best goals kicked in the VFL/AFL during that season. It is run in conjunction with the Mark of the Year competition and is currently sponsored by Panasonic. The award is also known as the Phil Manassa Medal....

. He took a spectacular mark over Essendon player Andrew Welsh. He also kicked a memorable goal, baulking an opponent and kicking from 50 metres under pressure.

Thomas' season was marred by an injury to his collarbone on August 5. Thomas returned to play in Collingwood's defeat in the 2006 First Elimination Final
2006 AFL finals series
- The finals system :The system is a final eight system. This system is different to the McIntyre Final Eight System, which was previously used by the AFL, and is currently used by the National Rugby League....

 to 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...

, where he took a spectacular mark on the shoulders of an opponent.

He became so popular in his first season of AFL that his guernsey
Guernsey (clothing)
A guernsey, or gansey, is a seaman's knitted woollen sweater, similar to a jersey, which originated in the Channel Island of the same name.-Origins:...

s bearing his name sold twice as many as then Captain Nathan Buckley
Nathan Buckley
Nathan Charles Buckley is a former professional Australian rules football player, commentator and coach, best known for his time as captain of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League ....

 at the club's merchandise shop.

2007 AFL season

During 2007, Thomas was played in a variety of positions including a regular role in the midfield and the forward line, and also instances in defence. He played every game in the 2007 season
2007 AFL season
The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia...

. He was considered a match-winner in the Round 1 fightback against the North Melbourne Kangaroos, and was also judged one of the best afield in Round 3 against the Richmond Tigers where he collected 25 disposals. After being injured three days earlier against the Port Adelaide Power, he battled in the traditional ANZAC Day
The ANZAC Day clash
The Anzac Day clash is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League teams Collingwood and Essendon, held on Anzac Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground .-Early history of Australian rules on Anzac Day:...

 game against the Essendon Bombers.

In Round 5 Thomas was reported after accidentally striking Essendon player Patrick Ryder
Patrick Ryder
Patrick "Paddy" Ryder is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Essendon in the Australian Football League .-Early career:...

. The AFL match review panel took 10 seconds to find Thomas not guilty.

He was fined $1,500 for being involved in a melee between Collingwood and Carlton on Round 7.

Highlights of the 2007 season came during a match against the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...

 where Collingwood was considered underdogs with a depleted defence. Thomas recorded a career high 4 goals, and was thus awarded three Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

 votes. He was also judged best afield by commentators against St Kilda where he recorded 18 disposals and 2 goals.

Most memorably he slotted through a neat goal from the boundary line while being chased by two St Kilda players; commentators labelled it "Goal of the Year" until it was judged out-of-bounds, this incident has since been dubbed "non-goal of the year".
Thomas played a vital role in the Pies' finals matches. His runs down the ground in the Semi Final and Preliminary Final are considered some of the most important plays in the Pies' win against West Coast and close loss against Geelong.

Thomas' year ended with a career-high four votes at the Brownlow count and placing sixth in the Copeland Trophy
Copeland Trophy
The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for Collingwood during the year....

 count.

2008 AFL season

Thomas began his 2008 campaign with style in Round 1 of the 2008 NAB Cup
2008 NAB Cup
The 2008 NAB Cup was the Australian Football League pre-season competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2008 Premiership season began...

 in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

, where he took a "specky
Mark (Australian football)
A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....

" on the shoulders of his Adelaide opponent . Three weeks later, he kicked a freakish goal against Port Adelaide during a practice match at Princes Park – as the ball was bounced in the goal square, Thomas dodged both ruckmen
Ruckman (Australian rules football position)
In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...

, jumped in the air and kicked the ball over his head through the goals, right on the siren
Siren (noisemaker)
A siren is a loud noise making device. Most modern ones are civil defense or air raid sirens, tornado sirens, or the sirens on emergency service vehicles such as ambulances, police cars and fire trucks. There are two general types: pneumatic and electronic....

.

Thomas was ranked at number 42 in Mike Sheahan
Mike Sheahan
Michael "Mike" Sheahan is an Australian journalist who specialises in Australian rules football. He is Chief Football Writer and Associate Sports Editor for the Herald Sun, a panelist on the Fox Sports program "On the Couch" and former Media Director for the VFL .Sheahan attended Werribee High...

's "Top 50 Players".

Thomas was named one of the best in Collingwood's opening game against Fremantle, after kicking two goals and collecting 15 disposals. Two weeks later, in Round 3 against Richmond, he kicked three goals, including a superb right-foot kick from the boundary line, dribbling through for a goal (nominated for, and winning, Goal of the Week), as well as taking a mark on the shoulders of Tiger Joel Bowden, resulting in a goal. Both pieces of play were also nominated for the collingwoodfc.com.au 'Pie Plays of the Day'. Thomas gained another nomination for Mark of the Week in the next around against Carlton, leaping high to take a mark on the shoulders of both opponents and teammate Anthony Rocca
Anthony Rocca
Anthony Rocca is a former Australian rules footballer who has played with the Sydney Swans and Collingwood in the Australian Football League...

.

Thomas was named in the extended squad, but was not included in the match-day squad for the Victorian
Victoria Australian rules football team
The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....

 team in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
The AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football....

 which was played on May 10. Upon being named, he said:
"It would be fantastic to play in the match, because it's the first time State of Origin has been back for a while, and I remember growing up watching it on the telly so it would be great to be a part of. Hopefully I can get a kick, if I manage to get into the side. It's always good to play with great players, and in my first two years, I was lucky enough to play with Bucks (Nathan Buckley). To play on the same side as some of the greats of the game would just be a great thrill."


Thomas endured a heavily-publicised "form slump", the first of his career, after poor performances against North Melbourne, Essendon and Hawthorn, and averaging only 13 disposals. He returned after the Hall of Fame break by defying his critics with a 21-disposal game, playing mostly on St Kilda's Nick Dal Santo.

In Thomas' 50th AFL match, against the reigning premiers Geelong, he amassed 18 disposals, playing on the 2007 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

list Jimmy Bartel
Jimmy Bartel
James 'Jimmy' Bartel is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League . A midfielder at and , Bartel is a Brownlow Medallist, two-time All-Australian, and was part of the Cats' AFL premiership-winning teams in 2007, 2009 and 2011, being named the...

, in Collingwood's 86 point win, which was the Cats' first loss of the season and second loss in 28 matches. His opponent Bartel collected 20 disposals, but most of these were ineffective disposals and clanger kicks, and Bartel had the lowest disposal efficiency with 55%. Thomas kicked a goal labelled as "Daicos
Peter Daicos
Peter Daicos is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire 250 game career with the Collingwood Football Club in the VFL/AFL....

-like" by Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

 commentator Bruce McAvaney
Bruce McAvaney
Bruce William McAvaney OAM is an Australian sports broadcaster with the Seven Network, well-known for his commentary of Australian rules football matches as well as covering every Summer Olympic Games from Moscow 1980 until Beijing 2008.- Early years :The son of an Adelaide accountant, McAvaney...

. He scooped the ball after a loose ball on the 50-metre-arc, ran in ten metres while being chased by Geelong opponent Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...

, and kicked a checkside
Checkside punt
Is like a banana kick but the opposite way, the checkside punt is a kicking style used in Australian Rules and rugby league football. When kicked, it bends away from the body and is usually used when a set shot for goal is lined up on a narrow angle....

 goal that dribbled through from the boundary. It was nominated for, and won, Goal of the Week. He starred in Collingwood's 100-point thrashing of West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...

 with 20 disposals and three goals. His first goal was the result of a handpass from teammate Rhyce Shaw
Rhyce Shaw
Rhyce Shaw is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.-Career:Shaw, son of former Collingwood captain Ray was drafted to Collingwood in the 1999 AFL Draft under the father-son rule at pick no.18...

 on the half-back line. He ran nearly 100 metres, taking four bounces, weaving between West Coast opponents, and slotted the goal 40 metres out, and celebrating on his knees in front of the Collingwood cheer squad. He also received a cut lip which required stitches.

He was fined $900 by the AFL for wrestling with Essendon's Kyle Reimers
Kyle Reimers
Kyle Reimers is an Australian rules footballer who plays with Essendon in the AFL, debuting in 2007. Reimers was pick number 47 in the 2006 AFL Draft, having played with Peel Thunder...

 Round 6.

He played in the annual split-round game against the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...

 in Sydney, and kicked three goals – two from "screamers" in the first and second quarters, and the other from an uncontested mark. Thomas was heavily tagged in the second half, but Collingwood ran away with a 29-point win, and Thomas was named as one of the best on ground, and one of his marks nominated for Mark of the Week. Thomas was also a star against St Kilda following a horror week at Collingwood, and collected 22 disposals (thirteen contested), kicked a goal, took a "screamer" and also a courageous mark running back with the flight of the ball.

Thomas injured his knee against Port Adelaide in Round 20, after landing awkwardly in a marking contest during the third quarter. According to Collingwood official Greg Walsh, Thomas had developed bleeding and swelling on the back of his calf, but was in contention to play the following week. However, he missed the last two games of the home-and-away season, with the official complaint as an upper calf injury.

Thomas returned from his injury to play in the First Elimination Final against the Adelaide Crows. He collected 20 disposals and kicked one goal within seconds of the three-quarter-time siren from the fifty-metre arc, which he later described as a "fluke". His goal, received from a tap from Shannon Cox
Shannon Cox
Shannon Cox is a former Australian rules footballer for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League ....

, was later described by Jackie Epstein as a "team-defining moment", and by Andrew Faulkner as one of the "goals of the season" Commentator Anthony Hudson called it a "stunning accidental goal" at the time.

Thomas ended the 2008 season with an average of 15.72 disposals a game and 1.04 goals a game.

Thomas was selected to represent Australia in the 2008 International Rules Series
2008 International Rules Series
The 2008 International Rules series was the 10th annual International Rules Series and the 16th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia....

, alongside teammate Scott Pendlebury
Scott Pendlebury
Scott Pendlebury is a professional Australian rules football player who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Early life :...

 and many other AFL stars. Thomas had a successful International Rules Series, gathering 19 disposals in the first test, and 16 in the second. He also saved a possible Irish goal when he chased and tackled Irish player Paddy Bradley in the goal square late in the first test. In the second he showed the Irish how he plays the game flying high for a mark but unfortunately not holding the unfamiliar round ball.

2009 AFL season

2009 was a year of learning for Dale Thomas. Coach Mick Malthouse put Thomas in a variety of positions for the season. He played as a rebounding defender, midfielder, tagger and notably as a defensive forward. These different roles led to Thomas being called a utility player for Collingwood, because of his flexibility to play all around the ground.

Thomas started off the year as a rebounding defender for Collingwood in the NAB Cup. Thomas made an impact in the backline which led to suggestions of playing Thomas as a backman instead of a forward. Fans and football commentators were once again confused as Thomas started round 1 of the 2009 season
2009 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9 :-Round 10:...

 as a midfielder. His round 1 performance against Adelaide was notable for two umpiring blunders that caused two crucial goals taken off him. The first was a trademark specky that Thomas took, which the umpire ruled as hands in the back. Thomas, not knowing that the umpire blew the whistle, played on and kicked what he believed to be the winning goal. The second umpiring decision came just minutes later. Thomas, under heavy pressure from the opposition, snapped a goal from the boundary. The boundary umpire ruled that the ball was out of bounds. Once a replay of the incorrect umpiring decision was shown on the screen at the MCG, Collingwood fans hurled abuse at the umpires as Collingwood lost by 4 points.

Speculation about Thomas possibly being drafted to the new Gold Coast Football Club team started when Andrew Hamilton reported for the Herald Sun saying "Collingwood's Dale Thomas is the latest name to be linked to the Gold Coast." Thomas vehemently denied these rumours on his blog saying "I want to be the first to say that while the weather and lifestyle would certainly appeal to me, I don’t think that will be happening! I am happy here at Collingwood and am not looking to move.

In round 2 vs Melbourne Thomas was a late exclusion from the team with gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...

. After another stint in the midfield Thomas kicked his first goal for the season against Geelong in round 3. Many people were led to believe that Thomas had solidified his place in the midfield. In round 4 against Brisbane Thomas played an entirely new role. His role was to be a defensive forward and shut down Brisbane's rebounding defender Josh Drummond
Josh Drummond
Josh Drummond is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. He is a rebounding defender with a raking and pin-point left shoe. He is also capable of playing on a wing....

. Thomas completed this job successfully keeping Drummond to a below average 15 possessions and was key to Collingwood beating Brisbane. Thomas was once again put in the midfield for the traditional ANZAC Day Clash against Essendon. Thomas was one of Collingwood's best in a close loss. Another midfield job against North Melbourne in Round 6 saw Thomas kick a goal in a big win.

On May 10, 2009, Thomas signed a new 2-year contract for Collingwood After signing his new contract Thomas said "I think when you get drafted you want to stay at one team and sometimes that doesn’t eventuate, but hopefully I can still play the rest of my days here."

Thomas played against St Kilda in Round 7 but came off the ground late in the last quarter with a knee injury. Thomas missed two matches and his momentum was stung when he returned to face Port Adelaide in Round 10 in a quiet match from him. A week later Thomas returned to his usual form and picked up 18 possessions against Melbourne in the Queen's Birthday clash. Thomas played in the midfield yet again in round 12 against the Sydney Swans. After losing a bit of his good form after returning from injury, Thomas tore apart the round 13 match against Fremantle. He put his quiet first half behind him and ran riot in the second half picking up 16 possessions in the last two quarters to finish with an equal season high 21 possessions. After spending time in the midfield Thomas was once again put in the forward line to play his natural game. He kicked two goals, including a spectacular goal under intense pressure from Essendon's Dustin Fletcher
Dustin Fletcher
Dustin Fletcher is an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. He is renowned as one of the finest defenders in the AFL, and has played at full-back for his team for many years. He is the son of former Bombers captain Ken Fletcher...

. This goal was chosen as Goal of the Week.

Round 15 against the Western Bulldogs was a highlight for Thomas. He played midfield and forward and kicked two goals. With one minute to go Thomas kicked the winning goal in a memorable 1 point victory for Collingwood. The next week Collingwood were thrashed by Hawthorn. While most of the team were down and out Thomas never stopped trying picking up 19 possessions. In round 17 Thomas played an outstanding 20 possession 1 goal game against Carlton. The next week he kicked a season high 3 goals against Brisbane while once again keeping Josh Drummond quiet. Round 19 against Adelaide was one to forget for Thomas, he was quiet most of the night, but kicked one goal. In round 20 Thomas put heavy pressure onto the inexperienced Richmond. He laid a game, and season, high 6 tackles in a comfortable 93 point win for Collingwood. Round 21 against Sydney saw Thomas a trademark specky in another easy win for Collingwood. Thomas faced the Western Bulldogs in round 22 and played another great game against them. He finished the game with 2 goals 1 behind in a Collingwood loss.

Thomas really switched on once the finals came around and proved that the tag "big game player" was rightfully deserved for him. While he didn't get a lot of possessions against St Kilda in the first week of the finals, his desperation and commitment to winning the game was outstanding. This was summed up in typical Dale Thomas fashion after receiving a heavy bump from Brendon Goddard
Brendon Goddard
Brendon James Goddard is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 he got straight back up and took a courageous mark to kick an inspiring goal. He kicked 2 goals and 2 behinds to be Collingwood's best in a loss.

Thomas playing in the midfield once again was outstanding in the second week of the finals against Adelaide. Collingwood, trailing by 5 goals at half time, came out switched on with Thomas giving all he could to get Collingwood over the line. Late into the last quarter with Collingwood trailing by a point Thomas clashed heads with an Adelaide player, he shrugged it off an got the ball out of the defensive 50 which ended up in the hands of Collingwood's John Anthony who kicked the winning goal. He finished the match with 19 possessions in a close win for Collingwood.

The next week Thomas faced Geelong. While Collingwood were thrashed by a more experienced side Thomas showed that he can still do well even with the odds stacked against him. He finished the game 17 possessions and 4 tackles.

Thomas finished his fourth season in the AFL with more experience in different position this should help him once the 2010 season starts.

2010 season

In 2010, he, along with his team mates, won the AFL premiership
2010 AFL Grand Final
The 2010 AFL Grand Final is either of two Australian rules football contests between the Collingwood Football Club and the St Kilda Football Club. Together they are considered the 114th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, and were staged to determine the...

. Collingwood defeated St Kilda by 56 points in the replay, after the first match was drawn. Thomas was described as having an "exceptional year", and played well in both Grand Finals, finishing third in the Norm Smith Medal
Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...

 vote count in the drawn Grand Final (the highest of any Collingwood player), and again finished third the Norm Smith vote count in the replayed Grand Final, with many commentators describing Thomas as the most consistent player over both Grand Finals. He also came up 3rd in Collingwood's best and fairest count, pulling up short of fellow stars Dane Swan (1st) and Scott Pendlebury (2nd).

Popularity

Thomas has managed a level of popularity among Collingwood fans that is helped by his dynamic style of play and hair style.

Personal life

Thomas co-owned with some friends a racehorse named Royal Riff Raff, which was sponsored by the Royal Hotel in Drouin. It also won the Drouin Cup on Boxing Day 2007. After selling the horse he bought a horse called Village Slickers.

He was named fifth sexiest footballer of 2008 in the Herald Sun Footy Fans Survey 2008 .

Thomas is a recreational surfer. While on a surfing trip with friends at Cape Patterson near Inverloch, Victoria
Inverloch, Victoria
Inverloch is a seaside village in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Bass Highway 143 kilometres southeast of Melbourne, at the mouth of Anderson Inlet, in the Bass Coast Shire and is located close to Australia’s southernmost stand of mangroves...

, he saw a shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....

 fin about 15 metres away from his surf board. He said "I was absolutely shitting myself." Upon seeing the shark he left the water very quickly, swimming 85 metres to the shore.

Media work

Thomas has become a regular guest panellist on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...

's The Footy Show
The AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...

, after two appearances in 2007 and several more in 2008, including an appearance on the Grand Final Footy Show. In 2006 he was also in the player's revue dancing with several other Collingwood players.

Thomas also writes his own blog, sponsored by Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....

. He writes blogs often and uploads videos about himself and life as a footballer.

Thomas has made appearances on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...

's Before the Game
Before the Game
Before The Game is an Australian rules football/comedy television show in Australia on Network Ten. The show is hosted by Andrew Maher, with regular panelists including Mick Molloy, Dave Hughes, Sam Lane, and Lehmo. The format of the show is a light-hearted discussion of issues relating to the...

. He was nominated twice in 2008 for the show's "Tool of the Week", and was voted "Tool of the Year" by viewers for his video blog filmed in his shower.

Thomas has appeared in several TV commercials. He was in an ad for McDonald's McHappy Day.
He was in an ad for Mainland Cheese Bites with teammates Shane Wakelin
Shane Wakelin
Shane Wakelin is a former Australian rules footballer for St Kilda and Collingwood in the Australian Football League.-AFL career:...

, Alan Didak
Alan Didak
Alan Didak is a professional Australian rules footballer of Croatian descent playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.- Early life :...

 and Brodie Holland
Brodie Holland
Brodie Holland is a former professional Australian rules footballer best known for his playing days at the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League....

.
He appeared in a Channel 7 promotion with Nathan Buckley
Nathan Buckley
Nathan Charles Buckley is a former professional Australian rules football player, commentator and coach, best known for his time as captain of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League ....

.
He features in a Toyota Dream Team ad alongside Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

.
He features in an ad for Footy Kickers potato chips. He also had a spot in an ad for Herald Sun AFL Footy Cards alongside other AFL players.

Statistics

Statistics are correct as of Round 10, 2010 (May 29, 2010)

Season Team No. Games Goals Behinds Kicks Marks Handballs Disposals Tackles
2006
2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...

Collingwood 13 16 10 6 138 88 87 225 21
2007
2007 AFL season
The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia...

Collingwood 13 25 19 21 268 154 126 394 74
2008
2008 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6 :-Round 7:-AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match:-Round 8:...

Collingwood 13 22 23 13 216 129 130 346 51
2009
2009 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9 :-Round 10:...

Collingwood 13 22 16 10 213 111 165 378 64
2010
2010 AFL season
-Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22...

Collingwood 13 26 18 14 380 158 243 623 90
Total 111 86 64 1215 640 751 1966 300
Average 0.8 0.6 10.9 5.8 6.8 17.7 2.7
Best 4 4 22 14 13 34 8

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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