| Mark Mercuri | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | (1974-02-21)21 February 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Original team | Keilor Park | ||
| Debut | Round 10, 23 May 1992,Essendon vs.Carlton, atPrinces Park | ||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1992–2004 | Essendon | 207 (242) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2004. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Mark Mercuri (born 21 February 1974) is a former professionalAustralian rules football player who played for theEssendon Football Club in theAustralian Football League.[1] He played in the 1993 premiership winning team which defeatedCarlton and in the 2000 premiership team which defeatedMelbourne. In the1999 AFL season, Mercuri was one of the premier players of the competition,[1] finishing runner-up in the Brownlow Medal, and earning a lucrative and rarely heard-of 5-year contract.
Mercuri played his 200th AFL game inround three, 2004 againstWest Coast in the match best known forJames Hird's match-winning goal which broke a 131–all deadlock with less than a minute remaining.[2] He retired following Essendon's 10-point semi-final defeat toGeelong at theMelbourne Cricket Ground.
In 2005, there was talk of a comeback, with Mercuri contemplating nominating for the pre-season draft. This never eventuated.
In 2006 he played forAirport West in theEssendon District Football League.
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 1992 | Essendon | 45 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 14 | 36 | 9 | 2 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 7.3 | 4.7 | 12.0 | 3.0 | 0.7 |
| 1993† | Essendon | 2 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 251 | 197 | 448 | 106 | 44 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 12.6 | 9.9 | 22.4 | 5.3 | 2.2 |
| 1994 | Essendon | 2 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 143 | 107 | 250 | 61 | 21 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 11.0 | 8.2 | 19.2 | 4.7 | 1.6 |
| 1995 | Essendon | 2 | 22 | 36 | 25 | 268 | 217 | 485 | 125 | 32 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 12.2 | 9.9 | 22.0 | 5.7 | 1.5 |
| 1996 | Essendon | 2 | 21 | 37 | 25 | 244 | 200 | 444 | 115 | 32 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 11.6 | 9.5 | 21.1 | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| 1997 | Essendon | 2 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 136 | 66 | 202 | 47 | 15 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 12.4 | 6.0 | 18.4 | 4.3 | 1.4 |
| 1998 | Essendon | 2 | 20 | 24 | 14 | 224 | 141 | 365 | 112 | 27 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 11.2 | 7.1 | 18.3 | 5.6 | 1.4 |
| 1999 | Essendon | 2 | 21 | 32 | 19 | 256 | 200 | 456 | 103 | 31 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 12.2 | 9.5 | 21.7 | 4.9 | 1.5 |
| 2000† | Essendon | 2 | 20 | 32 | 19 | 208 | 152 | 360 | 92 | 33 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 10.4 | 7.6 | 18.0 | 4.6 | 1.7 |
| 2001 | Essendon | 2 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 164 | 153 | 317 | 70 | 34 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 15.9 | 3.5 | 1.7 |
| 2002 | Essendon | 2 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 101 | 93 | 194 | 50 | 21 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 | 17.6 | 4.5 | 1.9 |
| 2003 | Essendon | 2 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 126 | 99 | 225 | 74 | 32 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 14.1 | 4.6 | 2.0 |
| 2004 | Essendon | 2 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 39 | 88 | 26 | 21 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 9.8 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
| Career | 207 | 242 | 158 | 2192 | 1678 | 3870 | 990 | 345 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 10.6 | 8.1 | 18.7 | 4.8 | 1.7 | ||