Mathew Stokes

Mathew Stokes grew up in Darwin, Australia, with his parents John and Jennifer, and three sisters Jaylene, Anne-Maree and Amy. Stokes' ancestors were Indigenous Australian (Larrakia), Filipino and Spanish. His father is a life member of the Palmerston Magpies, having played 148 games for them in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL). When he was finally eligible to play football as an under-14, Stokes forced his way into the Palmerston Magpies senior team In 2002, he was a member of Palmerston's premiership-winning side, and it was then that he began to switch his focus from basketball to football. Stokes' achievements in the local junior leagues saw him selected to represent Australia in the under-17's national team, alongside future AFL players Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Nick Dal Santo. Stokes was overlooked in the 2002 AFL draft though, and moved to Adelaide to begin playing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) for Woodville-West Torrens. Taking up a part-time job as a zookeeper off the field, Stokes continued to establish himself in the SANFL over the next three years. His persistence paid off when he was selected with the 61st pick in the 2005 AFL draft by the Geelong Football Club. ==AFL career==

It was not until his seventh game, making his mark against Port Adelaide in Round 15, 2006, that he kicked two final-term goals to lift Geelong's finals chances, one of which he marked and kicked from 40m out under pressure. For the rest of the year Stokes was inconsistent and as a result was in and out of the team. In 2006, Stokes played in Geelong's VFL grand final side, losing to the Sandringham Zebras. Stokes cemented his spot in Geelong's best 22 players. His best game in the 2007 home-and-away season was against Fremantle, in round 17, when he kicked a career best 5 goals. He was a member of Geelong's 2007 AFL Premiership side, overcoming a dislocated kneecap in the first quarter to make a solid contribution to the team's record 119-point win over Port Adelaide. Stokes escaped severe head injuries in a 2008 pre-season practice match against the Brisbane Lions, when in the last quarter he suffered a blow to the head after being tackled by Brisbane midfielder Albert Proud. Stokes went on to garner two goals and 12 disposals for the game. At the AFL Tribunal, he accepted a one match suspension for the incident, and stated that: His best games of 2009 came against Brisbane in round 5 (13 kicks, 11 handballs, 4 marks and 3 goals); Sydney in round 7 (13 kicks, 8 handballs, 6 marks, 6 tackles and 3 goals) and against Adelaide in round 4 (12 kicks, 11 handballs, 6 marks, 4 tackles and 2 goals). He kicked a season high 4 goals against the Western Bulldogs in round 9. Stokes was ranked 18th in the AFL for goal assists per game in 2009. Despite interest from the West Coast Eagles to secure Stokes, Geelong re-signed Stokes to a two-year contract extension at the conclusion of the 2009 season. The Geelong Football Club imposed sanctions against Stokes for his 2010 drug arrest including being banned from playing for Geelong's AFL team until round eight. Stokes was an automatic inclusion to the team in round eight and played a total of 18 games for the season. His best games came in the round 11 win against West Coast at Subiaco (24 disposals, 16 kicks 8 handballs, 5 marks and a goal); the round 14 win over North Melbourne at Skilled Stadium (28 disposals, 10 kicks 18 handballs and 9 marks); the round 15 win against Hawthorn at the MCG (22 disposals, 12 kicks, 10 handballs, 3 marks and 4 goals) and in the Semi Final victory over Fremantle at the MCG, (22 disposals, 10 kicks, 12 handballs, 6 marks and 3 goals). Stokes was ranked 12th in the AFL for goal assists per game. On 1 September 2015, Stokes announced the final round clash against would be his last for Geelong and he was subsequently delisted, he announced his official retirement from the AFL on 6 November. In January 2016, he came out of retirement to sign with the Essendon Football Club as a top-up player due to the club's supplements controversy. He announced in August he would retire after his 200th game in round 22 against at Etihad Stadium. ==Personal life==

Stokes interests outside of football include feral pig shooting, and fishing. His football hero was Nathan Buckley of Collingwood. On 27 April 2010, Stokes pleaded guilty to the possession charge in the Geelong Magistrates' Court after a deal between prosecutors and Stokes' lawyers to drop the trafficking charge. Stokes was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and ordered to pay $3000 to the court fund. A conviction was not recorded by the magistrate. After retiring as a player, Stokes was employed by the AFL as its Indigenous engagement and programs manager. He remained in this role until December 2018, when he returned to the Geelong Football Club as its people and engagement manager. ==Statistics==

: ==Honours and achievements==

• Team • AFL Premiership (Geelong): 2007, 2011 • AFL Pre-Season Premiership (Geelong): 2009 • McClelland Trophy (Geelong): 2007, 2008 • Dream Team Representative Honours in AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match: 2008 • NTFL Premiership (Palmerston): 2001 ==References==