Scott Harding (footballer)

Scott Harding (born 19 June 1986) is a former Australian rules footballer who played American football as a wide receiver in the United States.

For other uses, see Scott Harding (disambiguation).

Scott Harding
Harding at a training session in 2008
Personal information
Full name Scott Harding
Date of birth (1986-06-19) 19 June 1986
Place of birth Thursday Island, Australia
Original team(s) Morningside
Draft 2005 Rookie Draft: No. 66 (Brisbane Lions)
2009 Pre-season Draft: No. 6 (Port Adelaide)
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 78 kg (172 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2006–2009 Brisbane Lions 48 (15)
2010 Port Adelaide 2 (0)
Total 50 (15)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2010.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Harding was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School.[1] He is of Pacific Islander descent. His mother, Tulaga Paitela, is from the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu.[2]

AFL career

Scott Harding was drafted as a rookie by the Brisbane Lions in the 2005 AFL Draft from local Brisbane club Morningside. He played well in the 2006 NAB cup leading to debut selection in Round 1, 2006 against Geelong. He initially wore number 45 but in 2007 switched to number 5, previously worn by dual-premiership player, Brad Scott.

At the end of the 2009 season, he was delisted by the Brisbane Lions, but was later drafted by Port Adelaide in the 2009 preseason draft. He was delisted by the Power at the end of 2010.

American football

On 27 May 2011, it was announced that Harding had been awarded a scholarship to play for the University of Hawaii Warriors following a successful trial there.[3] Unlike most Australians who have transitioned to play American football as punters, Harding played as a punt returner and wide receiver.[4] Following the departure of head coach of Greg McMackin and the arrival of Norm Chow, Harding spent additional time as the starting punter and also spent time as a holder.

Personal life

His brother, Justin Harding has represented Queensland at Under 16 level and currently plays for Labrador in the NEAFL competition. His father Russell Harding was co-senior coach of Mt Gravatt for several years including a 2007 premiership in the QAFL competition and was senior coach of Aspley in the QAFL in 2010 before resigning mid season. His sister is Emma Hunt and is married to Karmichael Hunt[5] who also attended Churchie in the same year as Scott[6] and the played Australian Football in the same team for a brief time.[7]

See also
  • VFL/AFL players with international backgrounds

References
  1. Mason, James (2011). Churchie: The Centenary Register. Brisbane, Australia: The Anglican Church Grammar School. ISBN 978-0-646-55807-3.
  2. Media releases for AFL Cape York Kickstart Pacific Toyota Crusaders
  3. Harding becomes first Aussie wide receiver
  4. Kaneshiro, Jason (31 August 2012). "Aussie football seasoned Harding for his role at UH".
  5. The Daily Telegraph: Why I'm punting the NRL – Karmichael Hunt's own words
  6. Courier Mail: Karmichael Hunt gets the boot from his girlfriend
  7. http://www.theage.com.au/sport/hunt-a-churchie-goer-at-best-20100531-wrc7.html
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