Darren Pfeiffer (born 28 September 1987) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Darren Pfeiffer
Personal information
Full name Darren Pfeiffer
Date of birth (1987-09-28) 28 September 1987 (age 37)
Original team(s) Norwood
Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 84 kg (185 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2008 Carlton 07 (4)
2012–2013 Port Adelaide 16 (2)
Total 23 (6)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2013.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Pfeiffer played early football for Norwood in the SANFL under 19s,[1] before being drafted by the Adelaide Football Club in the 2005 AFL National Draft with its first round selection (No. 17 overall). After suffering injury setbacks and, by his own admission, a lack of application,[2] he was delisted at the end of 2007 without playing a senior game.

Pfeiffer nominated in the 2008 Pre-Season Draft, and was selected by Carlton with its selection (No. 2 overall), and made his AFL debut in round 2 of the 2008 season. Pfeiffer was a late inclusion into the Carlton team for round 9 against Fremantle at the Telstra Dome. It was Pfeiffer's goal in the dying minutes that sealed a come from behind victory for Carlton. He was moved to the rookie list in 2009 (being delisted then redrafted with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2009 Rookie Draft), but experienced an injury interrupted 2009 season.

He underwent a shoulder reconstruction earlier in the year and registering only his first senior game for Carlton's VFL-affiliate, the Northern Bullants, in round 17 before going on to be a member of their losing Grand Final side. He could not gain selection for Carlton during 2009 and was delisted again at the end of the season, requiring a second shoulder operation.[3]

Pfeiffer moved to Queensland in 2010, spending a one-season stint at Southport in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL), where he finished second in the Grogan Medal.[4] He returned to his former SANFL team, Norwood, in 2011,[1] and was recruited to AFL team Port Adelaide as a rookie for the 2012 season. Pfeiffer played sixteen games for Port Adelaide in 2012, but further injuries hampered his 2013 season, and he was delisted at the end of the year, having undergone a total of four shoulder reconstructions in his AFL career.[5] He won an SANFL premiership with Norwood in 2013, where he still played while on reserve for Port Adelaide.[6]

In 2014, Pfeiffer moved back to Queensland to study at university,[5] and signed with the Redland Football Club in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL).[6] In October 2014, Pfeiffer accepted a one-year contract for season 2015 as senior coach of the University of Queensland Australian Football Club QAFL side.[citation needed] He is currently residing in Sydney, and is the Coach Education Manager for AFL Sydney.

References

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  1. ^ a b Ross, Mark (20 December 2010). "Welcome home Darren Pfeiffer". Norwood Football Club. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  2. ^ Matthews, Bruce (12 December 2007). "Take two for Pfeiffer". Herald Sun. Fox Sports.
  3. ^ "Changes to the Carlton list for the 2010 season". Carlton Football Club. 15 October 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  4. ^ "Latest News". Queensland Footy. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  5. ^ a b Fjeldstad, Jesper (2 November 2013). "Darren Pfeiffer: It's lonely on the fringe of the AFL". Sunday Mail. Adelaide, SA. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Wrigley heads list of Bombers signings". North East Australian Football League. 11 November 2013. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
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