Darren Milburn
Australian rules footballer

Darren Milburn

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Australian rules footballer
Gender:
Male
Places:
Australia
Is:
AthleteFootball playerAustralian-rules footballer
Work field:
Sports
Birth:
15 April 1977(Victoria)
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Biography

Introduction

Darren Milburn (born 15 April 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A defender, 1.89 metres (6 ft 2 in) tall and weighing 92 kilograms (203 lb), Milburn was renowned for his competitiveness, decision-making and for both his physical and mental strength.
Milburn was selected in the 2007 All-Australian Team, and was part of Geelong's AFL premiership-winning team in the same year, a feat which has seen him become the first premiership player to play 250 matches for Geelong. He has also represented the Victorian state team in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match, as well as being selected to represent Australia in International rules football.
Milburn was an assistant coach with Adelaide in the AFL from 2012 to 2015.

Early life

Darren Milburn grew up in the country town of Kilmore, Victoria, where he attended school and played for the Kilmore Football Club. Milburn met his future wife, Tania, in his teenage years whilst still at school, and also was school friends with another future AFL footballer, Barry Hall, whom he met at a high school he attended in Broadford, Victoria.

Career

2007

In season 2007 he received his first All-Australian guernsey in the back-pocket. Milburn played a pivotal role in Geelong's defence throughout the groundbreaking year, which ended with a Premiership medallion for the veteran.

2008

In season 2008 Milburn once again was a regular fixture in the young Geelong side. In Geelong's round 16 game against the Western Bulldogs at Skilled Stadium, he racked up 19 disposals in the first quarter, breaking the record for the most number of dispsals in any quarter of football.

At the end of Season 2011. Milburn retired after playing 292 games and Two premierships in 07 and 09 since his debut in 1997, Milburn was named as an emergency for the 2011 Premiership. Milburn then went into coaching straight away and Joined the Adelaide crows for season 2012 Joining New coach Brenton Sanderson a former team-mate and Assistant coach at Geelong. Darren Milburn quit the Adelaide football club at the end of 2015 to return home to Victoria.

Statistics

Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team # Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
1997 Geelong 39 10 5 3 79 51 130 44 20 0.5 0.3 7.9 5.1 13.0 4.4 2.0
1998 Geelong 39 15 5 5 118 78 196 55 35 0.3 0.3 7.9 5.2 13.1 3.7 2.3
1999 Geelong 39 21 15 8 240 150 390 91 50 0.7 0.4 11.4 7.1 18.6 4.3 2.4
2000 Geelong 39 17 13 6 179 144 323 82 44 0.8 0.4 10.5 8.5 19.0 4.8 2.6
2001 Geelong 39 22 5 4 227 171 398 131 24 0.2 0.2 10.3 7.8 18.1 6.0 2.4
2002 Geelong 39 15 1 0 106 108 214 63 31 0.1 0.0 7.1 7.2 14.3 4.2 2.1
2003 Geelong 39 20 5 4 144 153 297 73 40 0.3 0.2 7.2 7.7 14.9 3.7 2.0
2004 Geelong 39 23 3 5 233 196 429 134 66 0.1 0.2 10.1 8.5 18.7 5.8 2.9
2005 Geelong 39 23 15 8 284 171 455 146 76 0.7 0.3 12.3 7.4 19.8 6.3 3.3
2006 Geelong 39 22 8 4 242 209 451 167 49 0.4 0.2 11.0 9.5 20.5 7.6 2.2
2007 Geelong 39 25 5 8 274 288 562 179 57 0.2 0.3 11.0 11.5 22.5 7.2 2.3
2008 Geelong 39 22 7 1 242 200 442 155 47 0.3 0.0 11.0 9.1 20.1 7.0 2.1
2009 Geelong 39 21 3 2 273 197 470 132 33 0.1 0.1 13.0 9.4 22.4 6.3 1.6
2010 Geelong 39 22 1 2 271 240 511 159 49 0.0 0.1 12.3 10.9 23.2 7.2 2.2
2011 Geelong 39 14 3 0 135 120 255 76 24 0.2 0.0 9.6 8.6 18.2 5.4 1.7
Career 292 94 60 3047 2476 5523 1687 674 0.3 0.2 10.4 8.5 18.9 5.8 2.3

Honours and achievements

Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
1997 —
1998 —
1999 5
2000 —
2001 2
2002 6
2003 2
2004 3
2005 4
2006 1
2007 —
2008 —
Total 23
Key:
Red / Italics = Ineligible

Team:

  • AFL Premiership (Geelong): 2007, 2009
  • AFL McClelland Trophy (Geelong): 2007, 2008
  • AFL NAB Cup (Geelong): 2006, 2009

Individual:

  • AFL:
    • All-Australian: 2007
    • Australian representative honours in international rules football: 2005
    • All-Australian nomination: 2008
    • AFL Rising Star nomination: 1998
  • Geelong Football Club:
    • Member of the Geelong F.C. Hall of Fame
    • Geelong F.C. "Best team and most constructive player" award: 2005
  • TAC Cup:
    • Team of the Year: 1995

Milestones:

  • AFL debut: Round 1, 1997 (vs. Richmond) at the MCG (Geelong lost by 9 points)
  • Finals debut: Qualifying final, 1997 (vs. North Melbourne) at the MCG (Geelong lost by 18 points)
  • 50th game: Round 4, 2000 (vs. North Melbourne) at the Telstra Dome (Geelong lost by 5 points)
  • 100th game: Round 18, 2002 (vs. North Melbourne) at Skilled Stadium (Geelong lost by 64 points)
  • 150th game: Round 8, 2005 (vs. Carlton) at Telstra Dome (Geelong won by 70 points)
  • 200th game: Round 12, 2007 (vs. Brisbane Lions) at Skilled Stadium (Geelong won by 50 points)
  • 250th game: Round 18, 2009 (vs. Adelaide) at Skilled Stadium (Geelong won by 2 points)

Tribunal history

Season Round Charge category (level) Victim Result Verdict Ref(s)
2001 22 Charging Stephen Silvagni (Carlton) Guilty (lost at tribunal) 3 matches suspension
2007 20 Interference with opponent Shannon Grant (North Melbourne) Guilty (early plea) $600 fine
2008 18 Rough conduct (4) Shane Edwards (Richmond) Guilty (won at tribunal) 1 match suspension

Although he kept mostly out of trouble throughout his career, Milburn had two notable tribunal cases.

  • In 2001, he was suspended for three weeks for charging, after he knocked out Carlton's Stephen Silvagni with a hip to the head late in Geelong's last match for the year; there was also discussion of charging Milburn for 'bringing the game into disrepute', when he provocatively clapped to the Carlton crowd as it booed him from the ground, but he did not have to formally face this charge. He was never forgiven by Carlton fans, who booed him for the rest of his career.
  • In 2008, Milburn was suspended for one week for rough conduct against Richmond's Shane Edwards. In the incident, Milburn pinned Edwards' arms in a tackle and slung him into the ground, causing Edwards' unprotected head hit the ground. Milburn was able to successfully, but controversially, argue the contact should be viewed as body contact rather than head-high contact because Milburn never contacted Edwards' head himself; this reduced his suspension from three matches to one. This case was the most prominent of four cases which led directly to the establishment of "dangerous tackle" as a tribunal charge distinct from "rough conduct" from the 2009 season onwards.

Personal life

Milburn is married to his teenage sweetheart, Tania, with whom he has had two children: a daughter, Imogen, and a son, Jett.