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.[1][2]

Darren Milburn
Personal information
Full name Darren Milburn
Nickname(s) Dasher[1]
Date of birth (1977-04-15) 15 April 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Victoria, Australia
Original team(s) Kilmore / Calder Cannons
Draft 48th overall, 1995
Height 190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 92 kg (203 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1996–2011 Geelong 292 (94)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2008 Victoria 1 (0)
International team honours
2005 Australia 2 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2011.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2008.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

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.[2] He had 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 the Adelaide Football Club from 2012 to 2015.

Early life

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Darren Milburn grew up in the country town of Kilmore, Victoria,[2] 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,[2][3] and also was school friends with another future AFL footballer, Barry Hall, whom he met at a high school he attended in Broadford, Victoria.[2]

Career

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Early in Milburn's career, he was involved in a controversial clash with Carlton's Stephen Silvagni in which he knocked him out with a high bump and was subsequently given a three week suspension. Milburn also sarcastically clapped to the vocal Carlton crowd as he came off the field after the incident, fanning further anger. He has previously stated that he does not regret the incident.[4]

In 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.

In 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 highest number of disposals in any quarter of football.[5]

In an opening-round clash in 2011 against St Kilda, Milburn kicked a goal in the dying seconds to put Geelong in front and win by one point; he was nearly 34 at the time, the oldest player in that game, and had come on after a substitution.[6] At the end of 2011, Milburn retired after playing 292 games and two premierships in 2007 and 2009 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 the 2012 AFL season, joining then-new senior coach, Brenton Sanderson (a former teammate and assistant coach at Geelong). Darren Milburn quit the Adelaide Football Club at the end of 2015 to return home to Victoria.

Statistics

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[7]
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
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

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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:

Milestones:

Tribunal history

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Season Round Charge category (level) Victim Result Verdict Ref(s)
2001 22 Charging Stephen Silvagni (Carlton) Guilty (lost at tribunal) 3-match suspension [8]
2007 20 Interference with opponent Shannon Grant (North Melbourne) Guilty (early plea) $600 fine [9][10][11]
2008 18 Rough conduct (4) Shane Edwards (Richmond) Guilty (won at tribunal) 1-match suspension [12][13]

Although he mostly kept 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.[14] He was never forgiven by Carlton fans, who booed him for the rest of his career.[15]
  • 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.[16]

Personal life

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Milburn is married to his teenage sweetheart, Tania,[2][3] with whom he has had two children.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Scarlett, Matthew (10 May 2008). "Scarlett on Milburn". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Sheahan, Mike (1 August 2009). "Darren Milburn's dash of courage". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  3. ^ a b c McFarlane, Glenn (7 September 2008). "Just quietly, a bit of a Dasher". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Cat tries to put past behind him". theage.com.au. 18 March 2003. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ^ Boulton, Martin (20 July 2008). "Cats give Dogs a bone to chew on". realfooty.com.au. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  6. ^ Milburn sinks the Saints | Cats v Saints, R1 2011 | Last Five Minutes | Geelong Football Club, retrieved 11 August 2021
  7. ^ Darren Milburn's player profile at AFL Tables
  8. ^ "Tribunal History in Season 2001". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  9. ^ "Tribunal History in Season 2007". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  10. ^ Matthews, Bruce (21 August 2007). "Steven Baker suspended for seven weeks". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  11. ^ Lyon, Karen (21 August 2007). "Magpie set to accept six-game ban". realfooty.com.au. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Tribunal History in Season 2008". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  13. ^ "Darren Milburn cops one-match ban at AFL Tribunal". Geelong Advertiser. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  14. ^ "2001 Review". Footystats. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  15. ^ "Cats overrun Blues". SEN. 12 March 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  16. ^ Thompson, Len (16 October 2008). "Tribunal Review to sort out dangerous tackle anomaly". Circulars. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
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