Easton Phillip Wood (born 4 September 1989) is a former

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 who played for the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

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 ...

(AFL). He grew up in Camperdown,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

while attending

Geelong Grammar School , motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"(1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom) , city = Corio, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , ty ...

. He was drafted with the 43rd selection in the 2007 AFL draft. He made his AFL debut in the

2009 AFL season The 2009 AFL season was the 113th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured six ...

, playing 2 games. Since then, Wood has been an AFL Premiership player and a AFL premiership captain, an

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

, a two-time Australian

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 ...

representative, and a Charles Sutton Medallist. He served as the team's captain for the majority of the 2016 season, as well as between the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

seasons, and served as the team's vice captain in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Family and early life

Wood was born at "Gnotuk", a property near Camperdown in the Western District of

. His parents, Phil Wood and Fiona (née McLeod) were both athletes. Wood came from Camperdown,

, and played for the

Camperdown Football Club The Camperdown Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Magpies'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Camperdown, Victoria, Camperdown, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The club teams currently compete in the Ha ...

in the

Hampden Football Netball League The Hampden Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league based in South-Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns along or near the Princes Highway from Camperdown to Portland. The league is a major countr ...

junior divisions, winning the Under 16s best and fairest in 2005. Wood attended

on a dual academic and sports scholarship, after being recognised for his talents in

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

. Wood came to the attention of Bulldogs recruitment manager

Scott Clayton Scott Clayton (born 13 November 1959) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1980s. A tagger from Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the ...

after his performances in school football as a medium-sized running midfielder with a strong leap. Wood nominated for the 2007 AFL National Draft, and was selected by the Bulldogs with their fourth selection (#43 overall). Easton's older brother McLeod is an officer in the Australian Army. Easton also has a younger brother, Angus, and three younger sisters, Rhiannon, Juliet and Olivia. Wood has one daughter, Matilda, and one son, Frederick.

AFL career

2008–2013: Early career & Injury struggles

After being drafted by the Bulldogs in 2007, Wood required a shoulder reconstruction, and soon after a screening for lymphatic cancer, meaning he spent the 2008 season on the sidelines. During this time, Wood wore the number '29' guernsey. Wood made his debut in the

5-point loss to the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football ...

in the 19th round of the

at the

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...

. He had 14 disposals, kicked 2 behinds, laid 3 tackles and took 2 marks. He went on to play the next week against , collecting 6 disposals and a mark, but was not selected for finals matches. Wood consolidated his position in the team in 2010, being selected for 11 games. Wood played in the ' pre-season premiership win over future grand finalists , by a solid 40 points. After being named as an emergency on 7 occasions he broke into the team in round 12, collecting 16 disposals, 4 marks, and 5 tackles, proving his worth in the side. After playing 9 consecutive games, Wood suffered a hamstring injury and did not return to the side until the Bulldogs 5-point semi final victory over . He played in the 24-point loss in the preliminary final against , where he had 13 disposals, 3 marks and 2 tackles. At the seasons end, Wood was awarded the 'Most Promising Player' award. Wood played 15 games in a breakout 2011 season. In Round 1 of the

2011 AFL season The 2011 AFL season was the 115th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured s ...

, Wood suffered a serious ankle injury. He went under surgery the same night as the injury due to the seriousness of the injury. He missed the next 7 rounds, but he made his return to the team in Round 9 and then missed only two more games for the season. Wood had a career best game in the ' 27-point win over , picking up 17 disposals, 7 marks and 6 tackles. Wood represented Australia in the 2011 International Rules Series played 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 ...

. Training for the event occurred at

Whitten Oval Whitten Oval (also known as Victoria University Whitten Oval under a naming rights agreement) is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Barkly Street, West Footscray. It is the training and administr ...

, which was the current training ground for the Bulldogs. Wood re-signed with the at the seasons end. Wood had another injury-plagued season in 2012, playing 14 games. 2012 was Wood's first season playing with the number 10 guernsey. In Round 6 Wood injured his hamstring and was benched for three weeks, after having a great game that round where he collected 19 possessions at 79% disposal efficiency, while also collecting five marks and one goal. Wood broke his career high disposal record in round 12 and round 23, collecting 20 disposals in each match. Wood only played in three victories for the for the entire season after his injury combined with a bad season for the Bulldogs, where they finished 15th on the ladder. Wood struggled in 2013, playing just five games. Wood injured his hamstring in the early stages of the Bulldogs' 67-point loss to in the 3rd round of the

2013 AFL season The 2013 AFL season was the 117th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eigh ...

. He stayed in the VFL for a few weeks after his recovery, in one game gathering 26 disposals and grabbing 8 marks. Wood had a relatively mediocre season after his inclusion in the team in Round 20, playing out the remainder of the season without issue.

2014–2019: Improvement & leadership

The

2014 AFL season The 2014 AFL season was the 118th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured ei ...

was a big improvement for Wood, playing 18 games and getting 20 disposals or above per game 3 times. Wood played his 50th game in the Bulldogs nail biting 2-point victory over in the 3rd round of the season. In that game, Wood collected 11 disposals, 5 marks and 3 tackles. Wood collected a career-high 22 disposals in the ' 27-point win over in Round 4, also picking up 4 marks, 2 tackles, 5 inside 50s and a clearance. By the end of the season, Wood had played 65 games in his 7 years at the Bulldogs. Wood signed on with the Bulldogs for 1 more year in September. The

2015 AFL season The 2015 AFL season was the 119th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eigh ...

saw Wood have the best year of his career yet, winning many accolades for his strong performance. Wood only missed 1 game for that entire season, missing out on the Bulldogs 70-point loss to in round 3. Wood cemented his reputation as an excellent mark throughout the season, getting 10 or more tackles 4 times and having a career high 13 marks in one game against St Kilda in round 13. Wood had 19 disposals, 7 rebounds and 9 marks in the Bulldogs 7-point elimination final loss to , in his last game of the season. Wood won the

Charles Sutton Medal The Charles Sutton Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs throughout the Victorian Football League/ Australian Football League season. The medal is named a ...

as the club's best and fairest, with a total of 268 votes. Wood beat second placed

Bob Murphy Robert, Rob, Bob or Bobby Murphy may refer to: Sports Ice hockey *Robert Ronald Murphy or Ron Murphy (1933–2014), Canadian ice hockey player * Bob Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1951), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player *Rob Murphy (ice ...

by 39 votes. Wood was also honoured with All-Australian honours, being placed on the half back flank alongside captain

. Finally, he was also named to represent the Australian team in the

, played against

Ireland international rules football team :''This article concerns the men's team; for information on the Irish women's team, see Ireland women's international rules football team.'' :''This article concerns the hybrid sport of International Rules Football; for information on Ireland's n ...

Wood obtained premiership victory as a replacement captain in the successful year of 2016. Wood was named as vice captain at the beginning of the year. In Round 2 of the

2016 AFL season The 2016 AFL season was the 120th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured e ...

injured his ACL, resulting in him missing out on the rest of the season. Wood was named to replace the injured

Robert Murphy Robert, Rob, Bob or Bobby Murphy may refer to: Sports Ice hockey *Robert Ronald Murphy or Ron Murphy (1933–2014), Canadian ice hockey player * Bob Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1951), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player * Rob Murphy (ice ...

as the captain of the Bulldogs, and in this capacity led the club to premiership success in the

2016 AFL Grand Final The 2016 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between and the at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 1 October 2016. It was the 121st annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League (formerly the Victorian Football ...

over the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...

. Wood played 20 games in the

. He broke his disposal record against in Round 1, collecting 23 disposals, as well as 5 marks and a tackle. He had one of his best games in his career against in Round 10, kicking 1 goal, taking 13 marks and collecting 21 disposals, one of the Bulldogs best on ground. Wood found luck in the newly introduced finals bye, as Wood suffered a minor injury in Round 22 and was close to missing out on the elimination final against , but because of the extra week had more time to recover and was able to play. Wood played all finals games and captained the Bulldogs to their 62-year-drought breaking premiership. However, Easton Wood did not make the Top 10 of the

voting.

In 2017, Wood returned to his role as vice captain after

recovered from his injury and continued playing. Wood played 18 games, and continued to prove his reputation as a dangerous intercept player, leading the Bulldogs in intercept possessions, averaging 5.9 per game over his season. He had one of his best games of the season in the Dogs 7-point loss against in round 15 of the

2017 AFL season The 2017 AFL season was the 121st season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

, collecting 21 disposals, gathering 4 tackle and taking 8 marks. A hamstring injury obtained in the Bulldogs's 14-point win over in the 20th round of the season ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Wood signed a three-year contract in June, keeping him at the club until 2020. Despite missing out on 4 rounds, Wood came 4th in the

count for 2017, polling 138 votes, 47 votes behind first placed

Marcus Bontempelli Marcus Bontempelli (born 24 November 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Western Bulldogs captain since the 2020 season, and was previ ...

. In 2018, Wood was named full-time captain of the club, following Murphy's retirement at the end of the

. Unfortunately for him, his season was riddled with injury. Wood missed rounds 7 and 8 to a minor hamstring injury suffered in round 6. Then, in the Western Bulldogs' 57-point loss to , he got a major hamstring injury and did not return to the team until Round 22. Wood stated at the conclusion of the season that although he was injured, the time off 'enabled him to gain a greater perspective of the bigger picture – including the development of the Dogs' youth.' In contrast to Wood's horror 2018 season, he played every game of the

2019 AFL season The 2019 AFL season was the 123rd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

. 2019 was to be his second and final year as the team's captain. Wood had one of his best games ever in their 27-point loss against St Kilda, picking up 23 disposals, 1 tackle, 4 rebounds and a remarkable 10 marks. Wood captained the Bulldogs all the way to the finals, where they lost to eventual runners up . Wood showed off his high pressure playing style, completing 139 One-Percenters, taking 100 marks and laying 31 tackles throughout the year. Wood came 7th in the

voting for 2019, polling 160 votes, 139 behind first-placed

. In December 2019, Wood handed over the captaincy to triple

ist

2020–2021: Late career

While Wood no longer had captaincy, he retained his spot in the leadership group. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, there were only 18 rounds, Wood missing rounds 2-4 and 15-17 due to quad and hamstring injuries respectively. A 13 disposal, 4 tackle, 7 mark game against in round 12 of the

2020 AFL season The 2020 AFL season was the 124th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

was one of his best for the season, in that game obtaining a

Mark of the Year The annual Australian Football League Mark of the Year competition (currently also known as the Four'N Twenty AFL Mark of the Year) is a sporting award that celebrates each season's best mark. A mark is the action of a player cleanly catchin ...

nomination, winning 60.6% of the vote for that round. In late October, Wood signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the club until 2022. In April 2020, Wood's 2016 premiership medal was stolen from him. It is yet to be returned. On 22 October 2021, Wood announced his retirement after 188 games, the main cause being cited as his constant soft tissue injuries.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2021 season'' , - style="background-color: #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 ...

, , 29 , , 2 , , 0 , , 2 , , 11 , , 9 , , 20 , , 3 , , 2 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 5.5 , , 4.5 , , 10.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , - ! 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 ...

, , 29 , , 11 , , 2 , , 1 , , 53 , , 74 , , 127 , , 36 , , 20 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 4.8 , , 6.7 , , 11.5 , , 3.3 , , 1.8 , - style="background-color: #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 ...

, , 29 , , 15 , , 2 , , 2 , , 109 , , 72 , , 181 , , 59 , , 32 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 7.3 , , 4.8 , , 12.1 , , 3.9 , , 2.1 , - ! 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 ...

, , 10 , , 14 , , 1 , , 1 , , 121 , , 85 , , 206 , , 75 , , 17 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 8.6 , , 6.1 , , 14.7 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , - style="background-color: #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 ...

, , 10 , , 5 , , 1 , , 2 , , 27 , , 27 , , 54 , , 13 , , 5 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 5.4 , , 5.4 , , 10.8 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , 10 , , 18 , , 1 , , 2 , , 131 , , 142 , , 273 , , 62 , , 42 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 7.3 , , 7.9 , , 15.2 , , 3.4 , , 2.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, , 10 , , 22 , , 5 , , 0 , , 224 , , 167 , , 391 , , 155 , , 31 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 10.2 , , 7.6 , , 17.8 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

^# , , 10 , , 20 , , 3 , , 0 , , 180 , , 146 , , 326 , , 127 , , 29 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 9.0 , , 7.3 , , 16.3 , , 6.4 , , 1.5 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 10 , , 18 , , 3 , , 4 , , 150 , , 104 , , 254 , , 96 , , 29 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 8.3 , , 5.8 , , 14.1 , , 5.3 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 10 , , 12 , , 0 , , 0 , , 101 , , 64 , , 165 , , 63 , , 17 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 8.4 , , 5.3 , , 13.8 , , 5.3 , , 1.4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 10 , , 23 , , 0 , , 2 , , 175 , , 92 , , 267 , , 100 , , 31 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 7.6 , , 4.0 , , 11.6 , , 4.3 , , 1.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, , 10 , , 13 , , 0 , , 0 , , 79 , , 45 , , 124 , , 50 , , 19 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.1 , , 3.5 , , 9.5 , , 3.9 , , 1.5 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, , 10 , , 15 , , 2 , , 0 , , 111 , , 65 , , 176 , , 70 , , 22 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 7.4 , , 4.3 , , 11.7 , , 4.3 , , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 188 ! 20 ! 16 ! 1472 ! 1092 ! 2564 ! 909 ! 296 ! 0.1 ! 0.1 ! 7.8 ! 5.8 ! 13.6 ! 4.8 ! 1.6 Notes

Honours and achievements

*Team ** AFL premiership captain:

( C) ** Pre-season premiership player: 2010 *Individual **

** Charles Sutton Medal (Western Bulldogs B&F): 2015 ** Western Bulldogs captain: 2018 - 2019

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Easton 1989 births Living people Western Bulldogs players Western Bulldogs Premiership players Camperdown Football Club players Williamstown Football Club players All-Australians (AFL) Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) People educated at Geelong Grammar School Charles Sutton Medal winners Australia international rules football team players Australian people of New Zealand descent One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players