Des Headland had a 166-game Australian Football League career, playing for Brisbane and Fremantle.
14 Facts About Des Headland
1.
2.
In 1997 Des Headland represented Western Australia at the under 16 national championships and won the best and fairest medal and was selected in the All-Australian team.
3.
Des Headland was the first Indigenous player to be selected with the first pick in the AFL draft.
4.
In 2000, Des Headland was featured along with Adam Ramanauskas and Brendan Fevola in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation television documentary called The Draft, which followed the three players in the months before they were all drafted to the AFL.
5.
Des Headland only played 3 games for Brisbane in 1999, making his debut in round 13 against Sydney, in which he scored 2 goals.
6.
Des Headland starred in this game against his future team, kicking 3 goals in a huge win over Fremantle.
7.
Des Headland wore guernsey number 19 in these first two seasons.
8.
In 2001, Des Headland was given the number 1 guernsey when Richard Champion retired.
9.
The expectations of the Fremantle fans were high, especially when McPhee, who was traded by Fremantle to obtain Des Headland, won All-Australian selection and the Bomber's best and fairest award, the Crichton Medal in 2004.
10.
The All-Star team defeated Carlton by 73 points, with Des Headland adjudged by The Age as best on ground.
11.
In Round 4,2003, Des Headland was one of 7 indigenous players to represent Fremantle, the most ever to play in a single AFL team.
12.
In Round 8,2003 in a match between St Kilda and Fremantle, Des Headland was one of four players who had been number one AFL draft selections and one of twenty-first round selections.
13.
Des Headland rejoined his former WAFL team Subiaco for the 2011 WAFL season.
14.
Des Headland was selected in July 2013 as a candidate for the Palmer United Party for the Federal seat of Durack.