Aaron Sandilands

Infobox afl player | firstname = Aaron
lastname = Sandilands

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image size = 150
image capt = Aaron Sandilands towers over Carlton's Lance Whitnall at the Telstra Dome in 2006
birthdate = birth date and age|1982|12|6|df=y
heightweight = 211cm / 125kg
birthplace =
originalteam = East Fremantle
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = Round 1,30 March 2003
debutteam = Fremantle.
debutopponent = Adelaide.
debutstadium = Football Park
playingteams = Fremantle (2003-)

107 games, 32 goals
coach = notcoach
coachingteams =
statsend = Round 15, 2008
careerhighlights =

*AFL Rising Star nominee Round 14, 2003.
*Named in the WA State of Origin Team, 2006
*All-Australian 2008

Aaron Sandilands (born 6 December 1982) is an Australian rules footballer. At 211 cm (6' 11") tall and weighing 125 kg (273 lbs), he is the equal tallest [Jim Main, "Aussie Rules: For Dummies" (2nd edition, 2008) p 14.] . Sandilands plays as a ruckman for the Fremantle Football Club.

Originally from the small town of Mt Barker in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, Sandilands was selected by Fremantle in the rookie draft prior to the 2002 season. He spent the entire 2002 year playing for East Fremantle in the WAFL, before being elevated to the senior list prior to the 2003 season.

Playing in 19 games in his first season, the highlights were being nominated for the AFL Rising Star and earning a Brownlow Medal vote for a dominant display against the reigning premiers, Brisbane Lions in Round 14 and playing in Fremantle's first ever finals match. Despite Essendon being convincing winners, Sandilands was one of the few to perform well, with 41 hitouts.

As ruckmen are generally considered to peak in their late 20s, Sandilands has impressed many to rank 6th or 5th in total hitouts in each of his first three seasons in the AFL, improving to 2nd (with the highest average) in 2006 [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/2006s.html] . Despite this dominance in hitouts, it doesn't always result in Fremantle winning the clearances [http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22050636-5012705,00.html] .

In 2006 Sandilands suffered a broken jaw in the round 6 Western Derby in a clash with West Coast Eagles ruckman Mark Seaby. [http://fremantlefc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/7009/Default.aspx?newsId=24231] Following an investigation by the AFL, no charges were laid over the incident. [http://abc.net.au/news/items/200605/1634136.htm?victoria]

External links

*Fremplayer|ref=14091
*AflRleague|ref=A/Aaron_Sandilands.html

References