Matthew Young (Australian footballer)

Matthew Young (born 17 September 1972) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and St Kilda. After a long stint in the Hawthorn reserves, and limited opportunity in the senior side for his first two seasons, he was selected by St Kilda in the 1996 March draft. Given this new opportunity, Young had a successful 1996 season, ranking high in St Kilda's best and fairest award. He was plagued by a number of injuries during his career, including chronic back problems and a shoulder injury during the 1997 season.

Matthew Young
Personal information
Full name Matthew Young
Date of birth (1972-09-17) 17 September 1972
Original team(s) St. Pats (Tasmania)
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 84 kg (185 lb)
Position(s) Half Back
Club information
Current club Retired
Number Haw. 33, StK. 20
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1994–95 Hawthorn 21 (6)
1996–2001 St Kilda 97 (14)
Total 118 (20)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2001.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Young played in 17 of 22 matches in the 1997 home and away rounds in which St Kilda qualified in first position for the 1997 AFL Finals Series, winning the club’s 2nd Minor Premiership and 1st McClelland Trophy.[1]

This, and the doubts of St Kilda leadership about his ability to play a whole game meant he was dropped from the side for the 1997 Grand Final. 1999 was another successful season, and he was runner up in the best and fairest, however he struggled during 2000 and was cut from the list at the end of the year. Often considered a strong running defender, many disposal errors marred his career.

References
  1. "1997 Season Scores and Results – Ladder". AFL Tables. Retrieved 7 November 2009.

Sources
  • Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
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