1. Mathew Stokes was born on 22 November 1984 and is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the Geelong Football Club and the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League.
29 Facts About Mathew Stokes
1. 2.
Mathew Stokes grew up in Darwin, Australia, with his parents John and Jennifer, and three sisters Jaylene, Anne-Maree and Amy.
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Mathew Stokes's father is a life member of the Palmerston Magpies, having played 148 games for them in the Northern Territory Football League.
4.
Mathew Stokes' main sporting passion was for basketball, where he played at every junior level growing up and won an under-14s best and fairest award whilst still only seven years of age.
5.
When he was finally eligible to play football as an under-14, Mathew Stokes forced his way into the Palmerston Magpies senior team at only 14 years of age.
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Mathew Stokes was overlooked in the 2002 AFL Draft though, and moved to Adelaide to begin playing in the South Australian National Football League for Woodville-West Torrens.
7.
Mathew Stokes's persistence paid off when he was selected with the 61st pick in the 2005 AFL Draft by the Geelong Football Club.
8.
In 2006, Mathew Stokes played in Geelong's VFL grand final side, losing to the Sandringham Zebras.
9.
Mathew Stokes was a member of Geelong's 2007 AFL Premiership side, overcoming a dislocated kneecap in the first quarter to make a solid contribution to the team's record 119-point win over Port Adelaide.
10.
Mathew Stokes escaped severe head injuries in a 2008 pre-season practice match against the Brisbane Lions, when in the last quarter he suffered a blow to the head after being tackled by Brisbane midfielder Albert Proud.
11.
Mathew Stokes was declared OK after being stretchered from the ground, and despite having a sore head, didn't need to be taken to hospital.
12.
Mathew Stokes was reported in Geelong's Round 7 clash against the Brisbane Lions, after striking Brisbane's Michael Rischitelli in the match's first quarter.
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Mathew Stokes went on to garner two goals and 12 disposals for the game.
14.
Mathew Stokes went on to play 22 games for 2008 including the loss in the 2008 AFL Grand Final against Hawthorn.
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Mathew Stokes had a career high 31 disposals in the round 2,99-point win against Essendon.
16.
Mathew Stokes played 19 games in total for 2009, including the second qualifying final against the Western Bulldogs.
17.
Mathew Stokes withdrew from the preliminary final against Collingwood due to groin soreness, and as a result of Geelong winning the preliminary final by a large margin and all players performing well, he could not force his selection back into the team for the grand final against St Kilda.
18.
Mathew Stokes later revealed that the decision to withdraw from the preliminary final was driven by "letting down his teammates" in the 2008 Grand Final loss by playing unfit, and stated that:.
19.
Mathew Stokes kicked a season high 4 goals against the Western Bulldogs in round 9.
20.
Mathew Stokes was ranked 18th in the AFL for goal assists per game in 2009.
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Mathew Stokes was an automatic inclusion to the team in round eight and played a total of 18 games for the season.
22.
Mathew Stokes was ranked 12th in the AFL for goal assists per game.
23.
On 1 September 2015, Mathew Stokes announced the final round clash against Adelaide would be his last for Geelong and he was delisted, he announced his official retirement from the AFL on 6 November.
24.
Mathew Stokes's overall sporting hero is American basketball player, Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA,.
25.
Whilst playing in the SANFL, Mathew Stokes worked part-time as a zookeeper, and hopes to return to the profession after his football career.
26.
On 3 February 2010, Mathew Stokes was arrested on charges of possession and trafficking of cocaine.
27.
On 27 April 2010, Mathew Stokes pleaded guilty to the possession charge in the Geelong Magistrates' Court after a deal between prosecutors and Mathew Stokes' lawyers to drop the trafficking charge.
28.
Mathew Stokes was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and ordered to pay $3000 to the court fund.
29.
Mathew Stokes remained in this role until December 2018, when he returned to the Geelong Football Club as its people and engagement manager.