Alan Didak (born 15 February 1983) is a former professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er of Croatian descent who played for the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

. Didak was a fan favourite and legend of the club, known for his incredible foot skills, marking prowess, and ability to kick seemingly impossible goals.

Early life

Originally from

Whyalla, South Australia Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta i ...

, Didak made his

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

(SANFL) senior debut for

Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...

aged 17 years. He was the captain of the Under-18 Australian

International rules football International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...

team in the junior

International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (s ...

against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

AFL career

Didak was drafted by the

with the 3rd pick in the 2000 AFL Draft, and in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

he made his AFL debut against the

Kangaroos Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

at the

Telstra Dome Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and w ...

in Round 7, gathering 10 possessions. He became a member of the exclusive club of players to kick a goal with both his first kick and first disposal. He played five games in total in 2001. In 2002, Didak earned an

AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Buc ...

nomination. Didak was an extremely talented small forward and was also very capable in the midfield. He was known for his accurate goal kicking and clutch ability which often saw him likened to club legend

Peter Daicos Peter Daicos (born 20 September 1961) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire 250-game career with the Collingwood Football Club in the VFL/AFL. Daicos is considered one of the greatest-ever players in Austra ...

. In 2003, Didak enjoyed his best season to date. In the Qualifying Final against Premiership favourites the Brisbane Lions, Didak came on in the last quarter and kicked two legendary goals to win the match which remain Collingwood folklore to this day. In 2005, Didak's season was disrupted by injuries and problems. He had knee surgery during the pre-season, setting him up for his first game on

ANZAC Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

against

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

. His injury had an effect upon his performances. Having had minor issues since the mid-year break, he was suspended in Round 14 for two matches and after returning from that, he injured an ankle. When he returned in the next week, he lasted only 20 minutes, before suddenly fainting on the ground with an irregular heart beat. In 2006 Didak was awarded the

Copeland Trophy The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged best and fairest for Collingwood during the year. The Copeland Shield, as it was formerly known, was donated by Ern Cope ...

as the best and fairest Collingwood player for 2006. Didak was awarded All-Australian selection for the first time in his career. In 2010, Didak enjoyed his career best season, winning the club goalkicking with 41 goals and earning All-Australian selection. Didak placed 4th in the club's Best & Fairest, and was a hero of Collingwood's 15th premiership. Didak started off 2011 strongly in a dominant Collingwood side; however, he began to succumb to injuries, which became a common theme until he was delisted at the end of the 2013 season after 13 seasons.

Post-AFL career

Didak played one game for the

Glenorchy Football Club The Glenorchy District Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently playing in the Tasmanian State League and the Southern Football League in Tasmania, Australia. History The club is nicknamed the Magpies after its black and ...

in the TSL in 2014. Didak finished his AFL Career with 218 games and 274 goals, placing him 8th on the all-time Collingwood goalkicking list. He played in an incredible 5 grand finals Since his retirement, Didak has been awarded life membership for the club in 2015, and was inducted into the Collingwood Hall of Fame in 2017. He currently is a logistics consultant and owns his own wine company, INDI Wines.

Personal life

In late June 2007, it was revealed that Didak had met with Christopher Hudson, the self-confessed shooter in the 2007 Melbourne CBD shootings days before the shootings took place. According to police, Didak left the

Spearmint Rhino Spearmint Rhino is a chain of strip clubs that operates venues throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The first Spearmint Rhino was located in Upland, California. Operations John Gray is the founder & CEO of Spearmint ...

with Hudson, where Hudson then allegedly fired random shots before travelling to the Hells Angels' East County Chapter headquarters in

Campbellfield Campbellfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Campbellfield recorded a population of 4,977 at the 2021 census. History Ca ...

. Police believe that Didak was later dropped off near Southbank after the shooting incidents about 6.00am. On 3 August 2008, Didak was a passenger in a car being driven by intoxicated teammate

Heath Shaw Heath Shaw (born 27 November 1985) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club and the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). Heath grew up in Diamond Creek and played jun ...

which collided with another parked car. Both men initially denied that Didak was in any way involved. However,

witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

accounts to the incident identified him and, on 4 August 2008, both men were fined and suspended for the remainder of the season over the deception. On 6 September 2012, Alan became a first time dad to daughter Indiana Willow Didak with his long-term partner Jacinta Jellett.

Statistics

:Alan Didak's player profile at AFL Tables
/ref> , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 5 , , 3 , , 0 , , 19 , , 9 , , 28 , , 10 , , 2 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 3.8 , , 1.8 , , 5.6 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 19 , , 24 , , 10 , , 147 , , 46 , , 193 , , 51 , , 24 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 7.7 , , 2.4 , , 10.2 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 25 , , 36 , , 22 , , 177 , , 77 , , 254 , , 83 , , 33 , , 1.4 , , 0.9 , , 7.1 , , 3.1 , , 10.2 , , 3.3 , , 1.3 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 18 , , 21 , , 26 , , 186 , , 42 , , 228 , , 76 , , 22 , , 1.2 , , 1.4 , , 10.3 , , 2.3 , , 12.7 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , 2 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 12 , , 21 , , 9 , , 105 , , 30 , , 135 , , 42 , , 17 , , 1.8 , , 0.8 , , 8.8 , , 2.5 , , 11.3 , , 3.5 , , 1.4 , , 1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 23 , , 41 , , 23 , , 280 , , 116 , , 396 , , 136 , , 46 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 12.2 , , 5.0 , , 17.2 , , 5.9 , , 2.0 , , 4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 18 , , 25 , , 6 , , 191 , , 77 , , 268 , , 68 , , 46 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 10.6 , , 4.3 , , 14.9 , , 3.8 , , 2.6 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 18 , , 24 , , 15 , , 325 , , 77 , , 402 , , 102 , , 38 , , 1.3 , , 0.8 , , 18.1 , , 4.3 , , 22.3 , , 5.7 , , 2.1 , , 3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 20 , , 20 , , 12 , , 358 , , 152 , , 510 , , 101 , , 37 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 17.9 , , 7.6 , , 25.5 , , 5.1 , , 1.9 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 24 , , 41 , , 21 , , 350 , , 240 , , 590 , , 101 , , 65 , , 1.7 , , 0.9 , , 14.6 , , 10.0 , , 24.6 , , 4.2 , , 2.7 , , 11 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 20 , , 9 , , 9 , , 238 , , 117 , , 355 , , 63 , , 43 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 11.9 , , 5.9 , , 17.8 , , 3.2 , , 2.2 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 11 , , 6 , , 7 , , 130 , , 51 , , 181 , , 39 , , 11 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 11.8 , , 4.6 , , 16.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 4 , , 5 , , 3 , , 4 , , 48 , , 37 , , 85 , , 18 , , 4 , , 0.6 , , 0.8 , , 9.6 , , 7.4 , , 17.0 , , 3.6 , , 0.8 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 218 ! 274 ! 164 ! 2554 ! 1071 ! 3625 ! 890 ! 388 ! 1.3 ! 0.8 ! 11.7 ! 4.9 ! 16.6 ! 4.1 ! 1.8 ! 33

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Didak, Alan 1983 births Living people Collingwood Football Club players Collingwood Football Club Premiership players Copeland Trophy winners All-Australians (AFL) Australian people of Croatian descent Australian rules footballers from South Australia Port Adelaide Magpies players Glenorchy Football Club players Australia international rules football team players One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players People from Whyalla