Nathan Krakouer

Nathan Krakouer
Nathan Krakouer playing for Port Adelaide during the 2007 AFL Season
Personal information
Full name	Nathan Rhys Krakouer
Date of birth	(1988-05-05) 5 May 1988
Original team	Claremont (WAFL)
Draft	#39, 2006 National Draft, Port Adelaide
Height/Weight	182cm / 78kg
Position(s)	Midfielder/Defender
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2007–2010 2011 Total	Port Adelaide Gold Coast	40 (7) 13 (8) 53 (15)
1 Playing statistics to end of 2011 season .
Career highlights
Inaugural Gold Coast team

Nathan Krakouer (born 5 May 1988) is an Australian rules footballer who formerly played in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the nephew of former North Melbourne football players Jimmy Krakouer and Phil Krakouer and cousin of current Collingwood player Andrew Krakouer.

Early life

Krakouer began his junior football in Western Australia before playing senior football with the Claremont Football Club at a young age.

In 2006 he represented Australia's indigenous youth on tour to South Africa with the "Flying Boomerangs" to play against the South African national Australian rules team.

He was invited to 2006 AFL Draft Camp where despite weighing just 61 kilograms he impressed scouts with both acceleration and standing jump for his height.

Port Adelaide career

2007

The slightly-built rookie teenager was recruited by AFL club Port Adelaide in the 2006 AFL Draft. He was the player the Power was most surprised to be able to pick when it grabbed him at number 39. Krakouer shone at the 2006 AFL Draft camp in Canberra, setting a sizzling time in the 20 metre sprint on the second day of the camp. His time of 2.83 seconds puts his result in the top handful of all time, out of nearly a thirty players over the last 12 or 13 months.

Wearing the number 29 guernsey, he has played 11 games for Port in his debut 2007 AFL season, despite coach Mark Williams earlier predicting that he would not play for at least two years. As at the end of Round 7, he had an impressive total of 48 kicks, 24 marks, 18 handballs, 66 disposals and 4 goals. [1]

His explosive speed and raw talent has been progressively emerging throughout the season. Notably, he played a crucial role in securing a win over North Melbourne in Round 2, with a significant hand in three Port goals in 15 minutes; three such goals being in the last five minutes of the game. Krakouer was also the only Power player to take more than one inside-50 mark in Port's loss to the Crows in Showdown XXII.

At the end of Round 7, Krakouer was ranked sixth among the AFL Rising Stars in total kicks and total marks, and seventh in total goals.

2008

In 2008, Krakouer managed just three games for the Power due to recurring soft tissue injuries, and was granted permission by the club to return home to Western Australia after suffering a season-ending hamstring strain in round 15. This led to speculation that Krakouer would seek a potential trade to the Fremantle Football Club or West Coast Eagles, two West Australian based clubs. However this never happened, with Krakouer stating: "I had a talk to Choco (Williams) and I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t tell him I wanted to go back. I felt like I couldn’t just walk out and I’m glad I didn’t."

2009, move to defence

In 2009, an improvement in fitness and bulk in Krakouer saw him move to the backlines playing as a "sweeper role" and essentially replacing Peter Burgoyne who returned to his original position as a midfielder. Krakouer was dominant in this role, averaging over 20 possessions in the 2009 NAB Cup, and being named in the Power's round 1 game of the season.

2010

In 2010, Krakouer was limited to seven games with Port Adelaide due to injuries and Gold Coast or homesickness speculations.

Gold Coast career

On 1 September 2010, Krakouer signed a three-year deal with the Gold Coast Suns. He was the second uncontracted player to do so following Nathan Bock who left Adelaide. He left despite the disappointment of Port Adelaide who stated that given the commitment our football club has made to Nathan's development and welfare over the last four years, we are very disappointed at the way the matter has been handled in recent weeks. It was alluded to that Krakouer had already made the decision to leave Port Adelaide during the season, further highlighting criticism of the AFL's clause for the expansion teams ability recruit one uncontracter player from each of the 16 existing clubs.

In December 2011, Krakouer was released by the Suns due to "personal reasons", despite Krakouer being contracted to the end of the 2012 season.

External links

• Official AFL website of the Port Adelaide Football Club –player profile
• Nathan Krakouer's statistics from AFL Tables