Wade Thompson (born 28 August 1988) 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

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 ...

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).

Career

Known for his electrifying pace, with a good goal sense, Thompson was drafted at No. 4 in the 2009 AFL Rookie draft from

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) club

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

. After played in the opening round 2009 NAB Cup game against 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 ...

in which scored three goals, Thompson continued to impress during the preseason and was elevated to the senior squad as a replacement for

Jackson Trengove Jackson Trengove (born 2 November 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). AFL career Port Adelaide (2010–2 ...

, who was placed on the long-term injury list.Port rookie quick to rise
Perth Now; 26 March 2009 In round 3

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 ...

Thompson made his AFL debut for Port Adelaide against

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, becoming one of six

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

in Port's side, equaling the record for the most Indigenous players in a single AFL team. Although he didn't impress like he did during the preseason, Thompson played a satisfactory game in the forward line with 3 kicks, 6 handballs, 3 marks and 1 goal assist. The following week he played his first and last away game, contributing with 6 kicks, 7 handballs, 3 marks and 1 tackle. Thompson played in the first round of the 2010 NAB Cup and collected 14 disposals and kicked two goals. A week later, Thompson was injured during training when teammate

Marlon Motlop Marlon Motlop is an Indigenous Australian former Australian rules footballer who played with the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL. His final season was with Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) i ...

accidentally elbowed him in the face, fracturing his eye socket. Thompson required surgery, with a plate inserted into his eye socket and missed twelve weeks. He was delisted by the Power at the end of the 2010.

References

External links

1988 births Living people Port Adelaide Football Club players Port Adelaide Football Club players (all competitions) North Adelaide Football Club players Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from South Australia {{AFL-bio-1980s-stub