Tendai Mzungu

Tendai Mzungu (born 28 February 1986) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). Mzungu represented the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) before being recruited to Fremantle at the end of the 2010 season, and made his debut for the club the following season.

Tendai Mzungu
Mzungu playing in 2015
Personal information
Full name Tendai Mzungu
Date of birth (1986-02-28) 28 February 1986
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria
Original team(s) Perth Football Club
Height 182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 84 kg (185 lb)
Position(s) Utility
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011–2016 Fremantle 102 (54)
2017 Greater Western Sydney 004 0(1)
Total 106 (55)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2017.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Career

Born in Melbourne to a Zimbabwean father and an Australian mother, Mzungu moved to Perth, Western Australia, at the age of nine.[1] He attended Kent Street Senior High School, and played amateur football for the Trinity Aquinas Football Club.[2] Falling into the Perth Football Club's recruitment zone in the WAFL, Mzungu made his senior debut for the club in 2006.[3] He played 72 games over 5 years, winning the Butcher Medal Perth's best and fairest award in 2010,[4] and polling 20 votes in the 2010 Sandover Medal.[5]

The Fremantle Football Club obtained Mzungu in the trading period before the 2010 AFL Draft, trading their 39th selection to the new Gold Coast club, in return for Mzungu and the 44th selection,[4] after he was pre-listed by the Gold Coast[6] as part of the new club's entry concessions. Fremantle had originally intended to rookie list him, but decided to obtain him via a trade after his good form in the 2010 WAFL season.[5]

Mzungu performed well for Fremantle in the 2011 NAB Cup pre-season games and was tipped to replace the injured Roger Hayden in Fremantle's backline.[7] However, in Fremantle's final pre-season game he damaged his knee medial ligament[8] He returned to football 10 weeks later, to be selected directly to the AFL, rather than for Perth in the WAFL.[9] His debut for Fremantle was in the Round 9 match at AAMI Stadium against Port Adelaide, which Fremantle won by 52 points. He was selected as the substitute player[10] and only played the final quarter, replacing Hayden Ballantyne who suffered from a corked thigh (quadriceps contusion).[11]

Tendai Mzungu played for Fremantle in the 2013 AFL Grand Final against Hawthorn, Fremantle's first ever Grand Final in their history. In the second quarter, Mzungu scored Fremantle's first goal of the game.

He was delisted at the conclusion of the 2016 season,[12] however, he was drafted by Greater Western Sydney in the 2017 rookie draft.[13] After playing four games for Greater Western Sydney, Mzungu announced his retirement following their preliminary final exit to the 2017 AFL season.[14]

Mzungu has been Fremantle's team runner and inaugural Next Generation Academy coach since the 2018 AFL season.

Statistics
Statistics are correct to the end of the 2016 season[15]
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
2011 Fremantle 131411315111626763520.80.210.88.319.14.53.7
2012 Fremantle 13241313266143409851030.50.511.16.017.03.54.3
2013 Fremantle 1325165287169456127710.60.211.56.818.25.12.8
2014 Fremantle 1323129276149425106710.50.412.06.518.54.63.1
2015 Fremantle 131121958317840500.20.18.67.616.23.64.6
2016 Fremantle 1350138387614150.00.27.67.615.22.83.0
Career 102 54 32 1113 698 1811 435 362 0.5 0.3 10.9 6.8 17.8 4.3 3.5

References
  1. Who is… Tendai Mzungu?
  2. Duffield, Mark (2012). Mzungu gets back to grass roots – The West Australian online. Published 22 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  3. WAFL Footy Facts
  4. Dockers pick up Perth star. Heraldsun.com.au (2010-10-11). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  5. Rivals for Mzungu headed off at pass. Au.news.yahoo.com (2011-05-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  6. Houli Richmond deal hits trouble. Theage.com.au (2010-10-11). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  7. Pencil in Fremantle's Tendai Mzungu for half-back role. Heraldsun.com.au (2011-02-08). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  8. Docker recruit Tendai Mzungu out for 10 weeks. News.com.au (2011-03-15). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  9. Mzungu shocked to get Dockers call-up. Au.news.yahoo.com (2011-05-20). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  10. Improved Dockers breeze past Port Adelaide. Perthnow.com.au (2011-05-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  11. Sandilands hurt as Dockers crash Port. Au.news.yahoo.com (2011-05-21). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
  12. "Fremantle list update". FremantleFC.com.au. Bigpond. 4 October 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  13. Browne, Ashley (28 November 2016). "Giants reunite ex-Dockers Mzungu and de Boer". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  14. "GIANTS Player Movements - GWSGIANTS.com.au". gwsgiants.com.au. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  15. Tendai Mzungu's player profile at AFL Tables
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