Luke Darcy
Encyclopedia
Luke Darcy is a former Australian rules football
er who played with the Western Bulldogs
who now juggles roles in media and administration.
who played for South Adelaide in the SANFL and 133 games for the Footscray Bulldogs in the VFL. David, originally a Victorian, moved his family to Adelaide. Like his father, Luke also played for both South Adelaide and the Bulldogs, being recruited from South Adelaide to play in the AFL with the Western Bulldogs.
/forwards. In 2001 he took out the Charles Sutton Medal
, and continued to stamp his name on the game in the following seasons. The following season, he and Michael Voss
were the first players to be awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy
as AFL Players Association
MVP1. In 2004 he was the Western Bulldogs
leading goalkicker.
In 2005 against Geelong
, Darcy suffered a season-ending knee injury when he twisted it, which deprived the Bulldogs of a quality tall-forward option, something they missed during the year.
On December 20, 2005 during the final pre-season training session before the Christmas holidays, Darcy re-injured the ACL
during an awful fall which slightly dislocated the knee, which meant that he would miss the entire 2006 season
. The Bulldogs finished the season in sixth place, the first time the club had made the finals in six years. He had been part of a Bulldogs casualty list that included four ACL injuries during the season (up until only the Round 9 mark).
During his time on the sidelines, he provided special comments for Network Ten
's AFL coverage, and continued to do so after his playing retirement. From the 2012 season onwards, Darcy will be commentating Saturday matches for the Seven Network
as part of its' expanded AFL coverage.
On 2 August 2007 Darcy announced that he would retire at the end of the 2007 AFL season
.http://westernbulldogs.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4112/Default.aspx?newsId=48473
show and also The Fifth Quarter
.
In 2008, he became a member of the AFL Rules Committee.
In 2009, not only is he a panelist for "One Week at a Time" and "Thursday Night Live", he is also a commentator for AFL and Netball with Liz Ellis.
In 2009 he was appointed as co-host of Triple M's The Hot Breakfast
with Eddie McGuire
.
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...
who now juggles roles in media and administration.
Early life
Luke Darcy was born in South Australia, the son of David DarcyDavid Darcy
David Darcy is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray during the 1960s. He started his career at half forward but in his second season moved to defence where he excelled. As a key position defender he went on to represent Victoria on four occasions.Darcy is the father...
who played for South Adelaide in the SANFL and 133 games for the Footscray Bulldogs in the VFL. David, originally a Victorian, moved his family to Adelaide. Like his father, Luke also played for both South Adelaide and the Bulldogs, being recruited from South Adelaide to play in the AFL with the Western Bulldogs.
AFL career
Debuting in 1994, Darcy is regarded as one of the Bulldogs' most successful ruckmenRuckman (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...
/forwards. In 2001 he took out the Charles Sutton Medal
Charles Sutton Medal
The Charles Sutton Medal is awarded to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for the Western Bulldogs. Scott West holds the record at the club, winning seven medals, followed by Gary Dempsey, with six...
, and continued to stamp his name on the game in the following seasons. The following season, he and Michael Voss
Michael Voss
Michael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....
were the first players to be awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy
Leigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
as AFL Players Association
AFL Players Association
The AFL Players Association, or AFLPA, is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League players....
MVP1. In 2004 he was 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...
leading goalkicker.
In 2005 against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
, Darcy suffered a season-ending knee injury when he twisted it, which deprived the Bulldogs of a quality tall-forward option, something they missed during the year.
On December 20, 2005 during the final pre-season training session before the Christmas holidays, Darcy re-injured the ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
during an awful fall which slightly dislocated the knee, which meant that he would miss the entire 2006 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...
. The Bulldogs finished the season in sixth place, the first time the club had made the finals in six years. He had been part of a Bulldogs casualty list that included four ACL injuries during the season (up until only the Round 9 mark).
During his time on the sidelines, he provided special comments for 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 AFL coverage, and continued to do so after his playing retirement. From the 2012 season onwards, Darcy will be commentating Saturday matches for the Seven Network
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...
as part of its' expanded AFL coverage.
On 2 August 2007 Darcy announced that he would retire at the end of the 2007 AFL 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...
.http://westernbulldogs.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4112/Default.aspx?newsId=48473
Personal life
Darcy is married to Rebecca and they have four children – Sam, Sienna, Willson and Max.Post-football career
Since retiring, Darcy has continued his work in the media. He is a panelist on Fox Footy's Fox League TeamsFox League Teams
Fox League Teams is a weekly show that is broadcast on the Fox Sports. It is currently shown on Fox Sports and it is known as AFL Teams and it is hosted by former footballer Brian Taylor and members of the Fox Sports AFL commentary team every Thursday night during the AFL season.The show was...
show and also The Fifth Quarter
The Fifth Quarter
The Fifth Quarter is an Australian rules football television program screening on Network Ten on 27 March 2004.Beginning in the 2004 season, the show is a review show focusing on the Australian rules football football competition, AFL...
.
In 2008, he became a member of the AFL Rules Committee.
In 2009, not only is he a panelist for "One Week at a Time" and "Thursday Night Live", he is also a commentator for AFL and Netball with Liz Ellis.
In 2009 he was appointed as co-host of Triple M's The Hot Breakfast
The Hot Breakfast
The Hot Breakfast is an Australian breakfast radio show that broadcasts weekday mornings from 6 am to 9 am AEST on Triple M Melbourne. It commenced broadcasting on Monday, 7 September 2009....
with Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
.