Trent Croad

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Trent Croad
Trent Croad in Hawthorn colours
Trent Croad in Hawthorn colours
Personal information
Full name Trent Croad
Date of Birth March 9, 1980 (1980-03-09) (age 28)
Place of Birth Flag of New Zealand New Zealand
Recruited from Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup)
Draft 3rd overall, 1997
Hawthorn
Height/Weight 190cm / 99kg
Position Defender
Club information
Current club Hawthorn
Number 24
Playing Career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1998-2001
2002-2003
2004-		 Hawthorn
Fremantle
Hawthorn		 84 (80)
38 (25)
84 (84)
State Team Honours2
Years Team Games (Goals)
1999, 2008 Flag of Victoria (Australia) Victoria 2 (0)
¹ Club statistics to end of HOF Game, 2008 season
² Representative statistics to end of {{{repstatsend}}}

Trent Eric Croad (born March 9, 1980 in New Zealand), is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.

Croad is one of only ten VFL/AFL players to have been born in New Zealand. His grandfather Eric Bloggs was an All Blacks rugby union player between 1946-1949 including the tour of South Africa. Trent grew up in Narre Warren in Victoria where he began playing Aussie Rules.

Contents

[edit] Early Career

Starting with Hawthorn as an 18-year-old after being picked up at number 3 in the 1997 AFL Draft, Croad started out as a defender, playing at either centre half-back or fullback. But he showed his versatility as his career went on, being able to play in any number of key positions.

In 1999, he represented Victoria in State of Origin.

In 2002, he was Fremantle's leading goalkicker with 42 goals.

[edit] Fremantle trade

Croad was traded from Hawthorn to the Fremantle Dockers at the end of 2001. The picks given up by Fremantle were used by Hawthorn to select current Hawthorn star Luke Hodge, Daniel Elstone, and star midfielder Sam Mitchell, whilst Luke McPharlin joined Croad in moving west. While Croad was reasonable but not spectacular at the Dockers, he cited homesickness and asked to be traded back to Victoria at the end of 2003.

[edit] Return to Hawthorn

He was traded back to his old club Hawthorn, this time only in return for pick 10, which was used by Fremantle to select youngster Ryley Dunn. Croad's form improved once he went back to the Hawks, winning All-Australian selection in 2005.

In 2008, he again represented Victoria, playing on teammate Lance Franklin in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match.

[edit] Off the field

Croad not only has a successful football career, but his good looks have been used to appear at several social functions, including the 2005 Flemington Spring Racing Carnival fashion launch, and appearances on Western Australian food and wine TV shows. He has also appeared in the Men For All Seasons calendar.

On the 14th October 2006 Croad married Tanya Stewart. Together they run a male hair-care company called Gear and they have a daughter, Kiera.

He met with his heroes, the All Blacks in June, 2007.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ All Blacks tackle Waverley Park

[edit] External links


Hawthorn Football Club – current squad

1 Bailey • 2 Roughead • 3 Lewis • 4 Ladson • 5 Mitchell • 6 Williams • 7 Osborne • 8 Jacobs • 9 Crawford • 10 Bateman • 11 Smith • 12 Sewell • 13 Taylor • 14 Birchall • 15 Hodge • 16 Dowler • 17 Muston • 18 Guerra • 19 Dixon • 20 Boyle • 21 Vandenberg • 22 McGlynn • 23 Franklin • 24 Croad • 25 Clarke • 26 Dawson • 27 Gilham • 28 Little • 29 Murphy • 30 Brown • 31 Thorp • 32 Ellis • 33 Thurgood • 34 Renouf • 35 Morton • 36 Kennedy • 37 Moss • 38 Tuck • 39 Campbell • 40 McEntee* • 41 Collins* • 42 Suckling* • 43 Gibson* • 44 Chandler* • 45 Young • Coach: Clarkson

* denotes Rookie Listed players
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Victorian Team - 2008 Hall of Fame Tribute Match