| Daniel Connors | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Daniel Connors | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-09-22)22 September 1988 (age 36) | ||
| Place of birth | Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Echuca /Bendigo Pioneers | ||
| Draft | 58th overall,2006 Richmond | ||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfield / half forward flank / half back flank | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Port Melbourne | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2007–2012 | Richmond | 29 (11) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2012. | |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Daniel Connors (born 22 September 1988) is anAustralian rules footballer who was selected at number 58 overall in the2006 AFL national draft by theRichmond Football Club. Originally from theEchuca Football Club, he played forBendigo Pioneers in theTAC Cup and was named in the 2006 TAC Cup Team of the Year and the All-Australian team after representing Victoria Country at the National Under 18 Championships.[1] Daniel Connors was considered a "steal" from the 2006 National Draft as many touted him as a possible top 20 pick[2] but slipped down to the 58th selection where Richmond selected him with their third selection.[3]
After playing 18 games in his first two-season, Connors' contract was extended in 2008[4] and with a change of coach at the end of the 2009 season, he was seen as a potential key to Richmond's future success.[5]
Connors was suspended by Richmond for eight matches following a drunken rampage outside a Sydney hotel in 2010, hours after the Tigers' Round 3 loss against theSydney Swans the night before. He, along with senior playersBen Cousins,Dean Polo andLuke McGuane were banned over the drunken rampage. Late that season, Connors earned the ire of umpireStuart Wenn when the umpire told him that he was "battling himself out of his league".[6]
He had further behavioural issues relating to alcohol during the 2011/12 AFL off-season, earning a further internal suspension from the club. His suspensions and injuries saw him fail to play a senior game between Round 3, 2011 and Round 12, 2012, but he kicked two late goals to help Richmond narrowly defeatGreater Western Sydney in his return match.[7]
Connors was sacked by the Tigers on 4 July 2012 for failing to attend training. Craig Cameron, Richmond's General Manager of Football, stated that Connors had "failed to meet club expectations on a number of occasions" and that "this latest incident can't be considered in isolation."[8]
On 31 August 2016 Daniel Connors pleaded guilty in Echuca Magistrates Court to reckless conduct endangering serious injury and failing to leave a licensed premises. Daniel Connors left a man with a severed tendon in his hand due to a broken beer glass after violently attacking him at a hotel. Connors then tried punching the victim twice, despite the man telling him he did not want to fight. Connors then threatened to smash the victim in two, before threatening security and resisting their attempts to remove him from the venue.[9]
Connors played for Aberfeldie in theEssendon District Football League in 2013, then signed to play withPort Melbourne in theVictorian Football League in 2014.[10] He tied with Box Hill'sSam Grimley for theFrosty Miller Medal as the leading goalkicker in the 2014 VFL home-and-away season, kicking 38 goals for the year.[11]
His younger brotherEljay was drafted bySt Kilda in2007,[12] but did not play a league game before he was delisted at the end of the 2009 season.[13]