| Shane Crawford | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Crawford at Hawthorn training in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Shane Barry Crawford | ||
| Born | (1974-09-09)9 September 1974 (age 51) Mount Barker, South Australia | ||
| Original team | Finley(NSW)/Assumption College | ||
| Draft | No. 13,1991 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 1, 1993,Hawthorn vs.Melbourne, atWaverley Park | ||
| Height | 174 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1992–2008 | Hawthorn | 305 (224) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1993 | NSW/ACT | 1 (1) | |
| 1996–1998 | Allies | 2 (2) | |
| International team honours | |||
| 1998–2003 | Australia | 8 (3) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2008. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Shane Barry Crawford (born 9 September 1974) is a formerAustralian rules football player, television media personality and author. He played 305 senior games for theHawthorn Football Club in theAustralian Football League (AFL). During his AFL career he became captain of Hawthorn in 1999 and that season also won the AFL's top individual honours, the Brownlow Medal and theLeigh Matthews Trophy. He is a four-timeAll-Australian player and played in threeInternational Rules series for Australia.[2] He has won four Hawthorn Best & Fairest Awards and was a member of Hawthorn's2008 premiership side.
Crawford is currently the head coach with the Ardmona Cats.[3]
Crawford was born inMount Barker, South Australia.[4] He spent his childhood inFinley, New South Wales, and played his junior football with theFinley Football Club.[5] While attending boarding school atAssumption College inKilmore, Victoria, he was selected by Hawthorn with the 13th pick in the1991 AFL draft before graduating in 1992.[6]
He made his AFL debut in1993.[7] In his first match he kicked a goal and had 19 possessions, including 8 marks.[8] He was nominated for the League's Rising Star award in Round 2 with a stunning 5-goal performance of 23 possessions, including nine marks.[4]
In 1995 and 1996, he was runner-up club champion for Hawthorn and received his firstAll-Australian selection in1996.[4] In 1998, he received another All-Australian nod, which earned him a spot in the side to compete againstIreland in the1998 International Rules series.[4]
He was named captain in 1999;[4] however, he stepped down from the Hawthorn captaincy after the2004 season in which he broke his arm, and the Hawks finished second-last on the AFL ladder. He regained some form in the2005 season, during which he played his 250th AFL game against theBrisbane Lions atthe Gabba,[9] and he was again one of the league's leading possession-winners.
He played his 300th game for Hawthorn against theBrisbane Lions in Round 19 in 2008 in Launceston, where Hawthorn defeated the Lions by 69 points.[2]
On 27 September 2008, Crawford won hisfirst premiership in his 305th AFL match, aged 34. He played more AFL games before receiving his first premiership medal than any other player in the history of the VFL/AFL.
Crawford was offered another year with the Hawks,[10] but he announced his retirement, wanting to go out on a high note. He ended his career after Hawthorn won the 2008 Grand Final and is now remembered as one of the greatest midfielders in the modern era of AFL football.[11]
In 2012, Crawford was inducted in theAustralian Football Hall of Fame.[12]
Crawford was a regular panel member of the sports programThe AFL Footy Show (from 2009 until its axing in 2019), a presenter on holiday and destination programsGetaway andPostcards (since 2008), and a presenter on the children's programKids' WB (since 2014).[13]
Crawford arose controversy in 2001 by randomly pulling downSam Newman's trousers live on-air and exposing his genitalia during a segment on The Footy Show. Despite Crawford being the initiator of the incident and initially fearing he would lose the captaincy at Hawthorn and his future at Channel Nine, it was Newman who copped most of the blame and Crawford escaped much of the criticism.[14]
In 2011, he was a contestant on the first season of Channel 9's seriesThe Celebrity Apprentice, on which celebrities compete for charities of their choosing. Crawford raised $49,311 for his charity, theBreast Cancer Network Australia. He finished third overall, behind dance guruJason Coleman and actor/comedianJulia Morris.[15]
In 2020, he became a stand-in presenter in the 4th season ofAustralian Ninja Warrior and was the main sideline presenter in the 2021 season with a guest appearance from tennis playerNick Kyrgios.[citation needed]
In 2022, Crawford made his musical theatre debut inJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Melbourne, playing the role of 'Pharaoh'.[16]
Crawford competed onChannel 7's2024 season ofDancing With The Stars. He was eliminated in equal-sixth place out of 12 contestants.
In March 2025, it was announced that Crawford would co-host the Seven Network’sHouse of Wellness alongsideMelissa Doyle. Airing every Friday, the show combines discussions, humour, and wellness advice, featuring a dynamic lineup of experts, personalities, and special guests.[17]
In 2009, Crawford set fiveGuinness world records during broadcasts ofThe Footy Show. The records were as follows:
In 2010, powerlifterDerek Boyer broke the record for the most bench presses of a person (weighing 105 kg or more) in 60 seconds, achieving the feat during the2010 AFL Grand Final edition of theFooty Show by using Shane Crawford as the weight. At 114 kg, Crawford was well over the minimum weight requirement.[22][23]
In 2018, he set a world record by putting on 32 swimming goggles in one minute.[24]
In 2010, Crawford released his autobiography,That's What I'm Talking About, written in conjunction with Glenn McFarlane and released in soft-cover and eBook editions.[25] A Junior Edition was released later.[26]
In March 2014, a series of children's books with football themes, co-authored by Crawford and Adrian Beck, were released.[27] The books revolve around the character "Nick", who is the captain of the Cobar Creek Crocs football team. The four books, released in paperback and eBook formats, areCrawf's Kick it to Nick: The Cursed Cup,Crawf's Kick it to Nick: Outbreak on the Oval,Crawf's Kick it to Nick: Bugs from Beyond, andCrawf's Kick it to Nick: Forward Line Freak.
On 16 September 2010, Crawford completed a 780 km run named "That's What I'm Walking About"[13] from Rundle Mall inAdelaide to the Channel 9 studio inMelbourne to raise awareness for breast cancer. He took a total of 11 days to complete the run and, as a welcome into Melbourne, ran the final leg into the Channel 9Footy Show's studio, where the panel and crowd awaited his arrival. Hundreds of "pink ladies" who were affected in some way by breast cancer showed their appreciation and support by making way for Crawford as he ran into the studio. Crawford appeared humbled and initially struggled to come to terms with what he had achieved and the stories that he had heard along the journey from breast cancer sufferers and family/friends of those with breast cancer. His efforts raised $500,000 for the cause.[28]
In June and July 2013, Crawford cycled 3,600 km from Melbourne to Perth in a fundraising event named "Tour de Crawf" that took place over 22 days. He averaged nearly 170 km per day, and in total he raised $1,328,249 for the Breast Cancer Network Australia.[13][29]
In October 2000, Crawford was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for services to Australian football.[30]
Crawford and his longtime partner Olivia Anderson have four sons: Charlie (born 2006), Benjamin (born 2008), and twins Jack and Harry (born 2011).[13] He has two brothers, Andrew andJustin.[31]
Crawford's interests outside football are diverse, including his passion for horse racing. In 2011, he launched his children's wear range, Kiniki, onto the market.
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks | ||
# | Played in that season's premiership team | ± | Won that season's Brownlow Medal |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 1992 | Hawthorn | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 1993 | Hawthorn | 9 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 181 | 122 | 303 | 57 | 47 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 9.1 | 6.1 | 15.2 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 7 |
| 1994 | Hawthorn | 9 | 22 | 19 | 10 | 270 | 195 | 465 | 96 | 45 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 12.3 | 8.9 | 21.1 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 7 |
| 1995 | Hawthorn | 9 | 16 | 18 | 9 | 188 | 145 | 333 | 76 | 38 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 11.8 | 9.1 | 20.8 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 10 |
| 1996 | Hawthorn | 9 | 22 | 16 | 10 | 343 | 194 | 537 | 108 | 55 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 15.6 | 8.8 | 24.4 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 11 |
| 1997 | Hawthorn | 9 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 136 | 99 | 235 | 50 | 26 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 10.5 | 7.6 | 18.1 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 3 |
| 1998 | Hawthorn | 9 | 21 | 13 | 9 | 350 | 156 | 506 | 81 | 52 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 16.7 | 7.4 | 24.1 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 16 |
| 1999 | Hawthorn | 9 | 22 | 14 | 9 | 388 | 252 | 640 | 102 | 35 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 17.6 | 11.5 | 29.1 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 28± |
| 2000 | Hawthorn | 9 | 21 | 24 | 8 | 237 | 190 | 427 | 78 | 59 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 11.3 | 9.0 | 20.3 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 5 |
| 2001 | Hawthorn | 9 | 21 | 20 | 8 | 247 | 195 | 442 | 89 | 67 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 11.8 | 9.3 | 21.0 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 14 |
| 2002 | Hawthorn | 9 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 307 | 226 | 533 | 89 | 87 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 14.0 | 10.3 | 24.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 17 |
| 2003 | Hawthorn | 9 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 279 | 237 | 516 | 65 | 81 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 12.7 | 10.8 | 23.5 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 21 |
| 2004 | Hawthorn | 9 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 118 | 63 | 181 | 41 | 38 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 11.8 | 6.3 | 18.1 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 2 |
| 2005 | Hawthorn | 9 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 295 | 207 | 502 | 133 | 83 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 14.0 | 9.9 | 23.9 | 6.9 | 4.0 | 7 |
| 2006 | Hawthorn | 9 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 196 | 163 | 359 | 104 | 24 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 13.1 | 10.9 | 23.9 | 6.9 | 1.6 | 5 |
| 2007 | Hawthorn | 9 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 278 | 261 | 539 | 122 | 76 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 12.1 | 11.3 | 23.4 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 6 |
| 2008# | Hawthorn | 9 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 132 | 178 | 310 | 68 | 47 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 9.4 | 12.7 | 22.1 | 4.9 | 3.4 | 0 |
| Career:[32] | 305 | 224 | 132 | 3945 | 2883 | 6828 | 1359 | 860 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 12.9 | 9.5 | 22.4 | 4.5 | 2.8 | 159 | ||
Team
Individual
