Koby Stevens (born 18 June 1991) 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 who played for the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

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 ...

, and

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club ...

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 was selected as a second round pick (number 22 overall) in the 2009 AFL draft.

Biography

Stevens played for

Gippsland Power The Gippsland Power is an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia. Honours *Premierships (1): 2005 *Runners-up (3): 1999, 2010, 2012 *Wooden Spoons (1): 2003 *Morrish Medal ...

in the

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victo ...

. In 2008 he represented Vic Country at the

2008 AFL Under 18 Championships The 2008 AFL Under 18 Championships is the 2008 series of the AFL Under 18 Championships, a state and territory based Australian rules football competition which showcase the best junior footballers in Australia, primarily with the aim for them ...

, was named in the TAC Cup team of the year on the wing and also selected in the AIS/AFL Academy. In 2009, he captained the AIS/AFL Academy squad in their annual tour and was in the leadership group for Vic Country at the

2009 AFL Under 18 Championships The 2009 AFL Under-18 Championships was the 2009 series of the AFL Under 18 Championships, a state and territory-based Australian rules football competition which showcases the best junior footballers in Australia, primarily with the aim for the ...

. Stevens was also invited to and attended the annual AFL Draft Camp at the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

in October 2009 but did not participate in much of the testing as he was undergoing rehabilitation from

osteitis pubis Osteitis pubis is a noninfectious inflammation of the pubis symphysis (also known as the pubic symphysis, symphysis pubis, or symphysis pubica), causing varying degrees of lower abdominal and pelvic pain. Osteitis pubis was first described in pa ...

sustained mid-season. Stevens requested a trade to the Western Bulldogs after the Eagles' 2012 season ended, wishing to return to his home state of Victoria and rejoin former Gippsland Power teammate and friend Clay Smith. On 24 October 2012, it was announced that Stevens had been traded to the

in exchange for the Bulldogs' pick 44 in the

2012 AFL Draft The 2012 AFL draft consisted of five opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2012/13 Australian Football League off-season. These were: *2012 AFL trade week, trade period; which was held between 1 October and 26 October, and for the fir ...

. At the conclusion of the 2016 season, he was traded to St Kilda.

Playing style

Stevens played primarily as a midfielder, but also has the versatility to play off a half forward flank. He has a strong, athletic build for a young player and his contested ball winning skills, attack on the ball, overhead marking, consistency, work-rate and leadership skills have all been described as strengths of his.

Retirement

On Monday 23 July 2018, Koby Stevens announced his retirement from football, with the 27-year-old unable to overcome his persistent concussion.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Koby 1991 births Living people West Coast Eagles players Western Bulldogs players East Fremantle Football Club players Gippsland Power players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football St Kilda Football Club players Sandringham Football Club players AFL Academy graduates