David Zaharakis

David Zaharakis (born 21 February 1990) is a professional Australian rules footballer of Greek heritage, currently playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

David Zaharakis
Zaharakis playing for Essendon in April 2018
Personal information
Full name David Zaharakis
Date of birth (1990-02-21) 21 February 1990
Original team(s) Northern Knights (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 23, 2008 national draft
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 79 kg (174 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current club Essendon
Number 11
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2009– Essendon 217 (134)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2020.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Zaharakis attended Our Lady Help of Christians, finishing Year 12 in 2008 at Marcellin College, where he also won the Terrence Cleary Memorial Sporting Award for sportsmanship and sporting excellence.[1] He played for the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup and junior football for Eltham in the Northern Football League. He was named in the under-18 All-Australian team, playing for Vic Metro.

AFL career

Zaharakis was drafted by Essendon with pick 23 in the 2008 National Draft, whom he supported growing up.[2] He was awarded the number 11 guernsey, which was previously worn by Damien Peverill. He made his debut against Fremantle in round 2, 2009, and earned the Rising Star nomination on debut.[3] In round 5, against Collingwood, he kicked the match winning goal during the final seconds of the Anzac Day match to help the Bombers win by five points.[4]

During 2011, he was able to make the most of his opportunity in the midfield, with the ability to move forward and kick over 30 goals for the season, resulting in winning the W.S. Crichton Medal.[5]

In round 5, 2013, he won the Anzac Day Medal where he recorded 34-disposals and kicked four goals.[6] It was revealed by his manager during 2013 that he did not take any part in Essendon's 2012 controversial sport science program that placed the club under scrutiny by the AFL and ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority), due to him suffering from a fear of needles.[7] As a result, Zaharakis was found not guilty of using banned substances by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and was therefore able to participate in the 2016 season.[8]

Personal life

Zaharakis is currently studying a Bachelor of Property and Real Estate at Deakin University.[9]

Statistics
Statistics are correct to the end of the 2020 season.[10]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2009
 Essendon111078875013747250.70.88.75.013.74.72.5
2010
 Essendon1120191817814131993521.00.98.97.016.04.62.6
2011
 Essendon11233117277195472103881.40.712.08.520.54.53.8
2012
 Essendon11137817111929043420.50.613.29.222.33.33.2
2013
 Essendon112191726621047673620.40.812.710.022.73.53.0
2014
 Essendon11231414332228560108850.60.614.49.924.44.73.7
2015
 Essendon11169314915130059630.60.29.39.418.83.73.9
2016
 Essendon11215628124152275990.20.313.411.524.93.64.7
2017
 Essendon112311143232675901071070.50.614.011.625.74.74.7
2018
 Essendon11177624019543585620.40.414.111.525.65.03.7
2019
 Essendon11206223816840699560.30.111.98.420.35.02.8
2020 Essendon111094637914224200.90.46.37.914.22.42.0
Career 217 134 117 2605 2044 4649 916 761 0.6 0.5 12.0 9.4 21.4 4.2 3.5


References
  1. Merry, Mark (13 November 2008). "Year 12 Valedictory Awards". Marcellin College. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  2. "Malthouse fumes: we let Anzacs down". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. Cook, Jessica (7 April 2009). "Zaharakis wins Round 2 Rising Star nomination". essendonfc.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  4. Connolly, Rohan (26 April 2009). "Bombers come from the clouds". The Age. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. Williams, Rebecca (8 October 2011). "Crichton Medal to David Zaharakis". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  6. Rolfe, Peter (25 April 2013). "Essendon, led by Anzac Day medallist David Zaharakis, crushes Collingwood at the MCG". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  7. Macgugan, Mark (31 July 2013). "Fear of needles: Zaharakis wasn't injected". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  8. "Bombers' Zaharakis avoids the needle and damage done". Neos Kosmos. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  9. "Elite Athlete Program Profiles". Deakin University. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  10. "David Zaharakis". afltables.com. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
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