Archie Perkins
Archie Perkins (born 26 March 2002) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Essendon in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Essendon with the 9th draft pick in the 2020 AFL draft.
| Archie Perkins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Perkins playing for Essendon in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Archie Perkins | ||
| Nickname | Perko | ||
| Born | 26 March 2002 | ||
| Original team | Sandringham Dragons | ||
| Draft | No. 9, 2020 national draft | ||
| Debut | 3 April 2021, Essendon vs. St Kilda, at Marvel Stadium | ||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||
| Position | Midfielder / forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Essendon | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2021– | Essendon | 105 (67) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 5, 2026. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Archie Perkins (born 26 March 2002) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for Essendon in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Essendon with the 9th draft pick in the 2020 AFL draft.[1][2][3]
Early life
[edit]Archie was born to mother Victoria and father Simon, both of New Zealand, who emigrated in their 20s.[4] He studied at Brighton Grammar School in Melbourne. Perkins trained with well-known AFL players such as Hunter Clark and Max King as a part of the NAB AFL Academy program.[5] He also played for the Sandringham Dragons in the NAB League, where he played a 6-game season in 2019, his coach at the time describing him as "a very confident kid, a pretty talented footballer and just a well-rounded person."[6] Despite being touted as a midfielder, Perkins averaged 1.7 goals a game in the NAB League, as well as averaging 14.2 disposals.[7][8]
AFL career
[edit]Perkins debuted in Essendon's shock win over St Kilda in the 3rd round of the 2021 AFL season.[9][10][11] On debut, Perkins collected 14 disposals, 1 behind and 6 inside 50s.[12] He received a Rising Star nomination after collecting 18 disposals, 4 marks and 3 goals in a dominant performance against Adelaide.[13]
He signed a 2-year contract extension in 2022, to remain at Essendon until at least the end of 2024.[14]
Perkins played his 50th AFL game in 2023, out of a possible 56 across his career, with only Errol Gulden the only player from the 2020 draft class to have played more games at the same point.[15]
Statistics
[edit]Updated to the end of round 5, 2026.[16]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2021 | Essendon | 16 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 116 | 122 | 238 | 58 | 42 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 11.3 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2 |
| 2022 | Essendon | 16 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 151 | 68 | 219 | 68 | 45 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 8.4 | 3.8 | 12.2 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 0 |
| 2023 | Essendon | 16 | 23 | 18 | 13 | 219 | 132 | 351 | 95 | 65 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 9.5 | 5.7 | 15.3 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 0 |
| 2024 | Essendon | 16 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 165 | 111 | 276 | 56 | 67 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 9.2 | 6.2 | 15.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3 |
| 2025 | Essendon | 16 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 154 | 141 | 295 | 59 | 48 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 14.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0 |
| 2026 | Essendon | 16 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 14 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 12.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | |
| Career | 105 | 67 | 55 | 830 | 599 | 1429 | 350 | 273 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 7.9 | 5.7 | 13.6 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 5 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Robinson, Chris; Massey, Kate (9 December 2020). "AFL Draft 2020: Logan McDonald heads to Sydney with Pick 4, Denver Grainger-Barras goes to Hawthorn". The West Australian. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "AFL Draft 2020: Pick-by-pick". The Age. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ Otto, Tyson (9 December 2020). "AFL Draft 2020: Tears flow in No. 1 pick's emotional moment". News.com.au. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Going Places: How footy's sanctuary helped Archie get ready to fly By Callum Twomey on Nov 26, 2020
- ^ Twomey, Callum (25 November 2020). "Going Places: The powerful X-factor 'robbed' by COVID's curveball". AFL Media. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Cherny, Daniel (2 April 2021). "'Unique character': New Bomber backed to succeed". The Age. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Pick No.9: Archie Perkins". essendonfc.com.au. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Archie Perkins". Aussie Rules Draft Central. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Trantino, Julian (1 April 2021). "Dons confirm two more debutants". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Chadwick, Justin (1 April 2021). "'Conservative' Dons in no rush to bring back sore skipper". AFL Media. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ Sutton, Ben (2 April 2021). "TEAMS: Big guns back, Dons swing axe, Tigers dump flag hero". AFL Media. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Essendon vs St Kilda - Player Stats". AFLTables. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Another Bomber joins Rising Star club after sizzling three-goal game". AFL Media. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Young gun re-signs in boost for Bombers". AFL.com.au. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Twomey, Callum (3 June 2023). "Striving for glory in his own way: Fearless Bomber continues to grow". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Archie Perkins". AFL Tables. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
External links
[edit]- Archie Perkins's profile on the official website of the Essendon Football Club
- Archie Perkins at AustralianFootball.com
- Archie Perkins's playing statistics from AFL Tables
