Will Thursfield

William Thursfield (born 19 April 1986) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Known as a courageous backman who has stood some of the more notable forwards of the current game. He is an elevated rookie.

Will Thursfield
Personal information
Full name	William Thursfield
Date of birth	(1986-04-19) 19 April 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Oxford, England[1]
Original team(s)	Ormond/Sandringham
Draft	1st overall, 2004 Rookie Draft Richmond
Height	191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Position(s)	Full back
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2005–2011	Richmond	77 (0)[2]
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2011.
Career highlights
AFL Rising Star nominee: 2007
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Thursfield was born in Oxford in England, moving to Australia at age 3.^[1]

Will attended Brighton Grammar and in years 8–10 and played in the 1st XVII. In 2003 he played in the combined APS team against AGS (Associated Grammar Schools).

2004 saw Will play for the Sandringham Dragons Under 18s TAC Cup team as vice-captain.

Thursfield made his debut in round 14, 2005 against eventual premiers Sydney. His first assignment was handling key-forward Michael O'Loughlin. He impressed straight away by keeping the Swans forward to 1 goal, as the Tigers upset Sydney by a solitary point.

Thursfield retired at the end of the 2011 season, having played ten senior matches for the year. He stated that, although he was "proud to have played the game at the highest level over the past seven seasons", there were "some other avenues in [his] life" that he was "keen to pursue".^[3]

References

1. AFL a diverse world^{[dead link‍]}
2. "Richmond Football Club Playerlist". Richmond Football Club. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
3. "Tiger Will Thursfield calls it quits after 77 games". AdelaideNow. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.

External links

• Will Thursfield's playing statistics from AFL Tables