Alex Davies (footballer)

Alex Davies
Personal information
Full name Alex Davies
Date of birth (2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 22)
Original team(s) Broadbeach Cats (QAFL)
Manunda Hawks (AFL Cairns)
Draft Pre-Draft Academy Selection, 2020 national draft
Height 191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 86 kg (190 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Gold Coast
Number 5
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2021– Gold Coast 32 (10)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Alex Davies (アレックスデイビーズ, born 18 March 2002) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

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Davies was born in Woollongong, New South Wales to a Japanese mother and Tasmanian-born father.[1] He was raised in raised in Cairns, Queensland.[2] He grew up playing Australian rules football for the Manunda Hawks[3] and basketball for the Cairns Marlins,[4] where he was considered an outstanding junior prospect in both sports.[5] At the age of 12, he was placed in the Gold Coast Suns Academy[6] as well as being placed in the Cairns Taipans' academy program as a teenager.[7] In 2017, Davies captained Queensland to an Under-16 Junior National Basketball Championship victory[8] which led to selection for his home state at the 2018 Basketball Australia Under-18 National Championships.[9] He also represented Queensland at the 2018 AFL Under-16 National Championships and was named in the All-Australian team for his impressive performances.[10]

Davies attended Cairns State High School[11] with fellow football and basketball prodigy Tamuri Wigness throughout most of their teenage years and both juniors were given the opportunity to pursue professional careers in either sport.[12] Wigness elected to continue with basketball in Cairns while Davies relocated to the Gold Coast towards the end of 2018 to join the Gold Coast Suns' academy program on a full-time basis as well as complete his schooling at All Saints Anglican School.[2] The pair remain close friends and often train together in both sports when based in the same area.[13]

In his first year based on the Gold Coast, Davies was influential for the Suns in their 2019 Northern Academy Series win[14] and was rewarded with selection for the Allies at the 2019 AFL Under 18 Championships as a bottom ager.[15] He made his senior QAFL for Broadbeach in June 2019, where he received his senior jumper from his Japanese grandfather,[16] and caught the eye of coach Beau Zorko in his sole appearance for the club that year.[17] Davies finished the year by competing in the Under-17 AFL Future All Stars game where he impressed with 18 disposals and a goal.[18] Leading into his draft year, he was considered a top 10 draft prospect and was compared to Scott Pendlebury with his basketball background and ability to play as a tall midfielder[19] but 2020 proved to be an injury plagued year for him. Despite the interrupted season, Davies was pre-listed by the Gold Coast Suns on the eve of the 2020 AFL draft.[20]

AFL career

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Davies joined Gold Coast for his first AFL preseason in December 2020.[21] He made his AFL debut for the Suns at 19 years of age in round 23 of the 2021 AFL season.[22]

Statistics

[edit]
Statistics are correct to the end of 2024[23]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2021 Gold Coast 30 1 0 2 5 11 16 2 6 0.0 2.0 5.0 11.0 16.0 2.0 6.0
2022 Gold Coast 5 15 8 3 81 68 149 27 47 0.5 0.2 5.4 4.5 9.9 1.8 3.1
2023 Gold Coast 5 9 1 3 60 69 129 15 39 0.1 0.3 6.7 7.7 14.3 1.7 4.3
2024 Gold Coast 5 7 1 1 37 72 109 8 49 0.1 0.1 5.3 10.3 15.6 1.1 7.0
Career 32 10 9 183 220 403 52 141 0.3 0.3 5.7 6.9 12.6 1.6 4.4

References

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  1. ^ The Asian-Australians forging the way forward in football by Andrew Wu for The Age 25 June 2023
  2. ^ a b "AFL 2020: Gold Coast Suns add academy member Alex Davies". Herald Sun. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. ^ "North Queensland junior destined for long AFL career". The Cairns Post. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Cairns Marlins Boys Statistics - Alex Davies". Basketball Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  5. ^ "One game, two ruptured ligaments and why Suns prospect turned to footy". AFL.com.au. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Gold Coast Suns lock in young talent ahead of AFL draft". MyGC.com.au. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Alex Davies showed he has resilience to match his significant talent". AFL Queensland. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Cairns represented in national Gold Medal". Cairns Taipans. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  9. ^ "2018 Australian Basketball Junior Championships Wrap-Ups". Basketball Queensland. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Under 16 All-Australian team announced: Including Tyson Edwards' son Luke, Taj Schofield and Will Phillips". Fox Sports Australia. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Cairns chasing school Aussie rules glory". The Cairns Post. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Dropping the ball on Wigness will haunt Taipans". Daily Telegraph. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Sun on the horizon for Manunda Hawks talent". Cairns Post. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  14. ^ "SUNS seal NAB AFL Academy Series". Gold Coast Suns. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  15. ^ "U18 National Championships: Allies wrap". Gold Coast Suns. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Here is Alex Davies receiving his first senior jumper for from his Grandfather who was over travelling from Japan!". Broadbeach Cats. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Broadbeach Cats QAFL coach says Gold Coast Suns have their next Jack Bowes in academy talent Alex Davies". Gold Coast Bulletin. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Future Swan stars in Grand Final curtain-raiser". AFL.com.au. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Future bright as Suns get access to 'Pendlebury clone'". AFL.com.au. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  20. ^ "2020 NAB AFL Draft Recap: Seven Queenslanders selected". AFL Queensland. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Alex Davies Interview". Gold Coast Suns. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Alex Davies set to debut". Gold Coast Suns. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Alex Sexton". AFL Tables. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
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