Lindsay Thomas (footballer, born 1988)

Lindsay Thomas
Thomas playing for North Melbourne in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	(1988-02-29) 29 February 1988 (age 35)
Place of birth	Port Lincoln, Australia
Original team(s)	Port Adelaide (SANFL)
Draft	No. 53, 2006 national draft No. 12, 2017 rookie draft
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Position(s)	Forward
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2007–2017	North Melbourne	205 (325)
2018	Port Adelaide	007 00(4)
Total		212 (329)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
2009	Indigenous All-Stars	1
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2018. 2 State and international statistics correct as of 2009.
Career highlights
2× North Melbourne leading goalkicker: 2010, 2013
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Lindsay Thomas (born 29 February 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne and Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL).

AFL career

Drafted by the Kangaroos in the fourth round of the 2006 AFL Draft from the Port Adelaide Magpies, Thomas made impressive performance by kicking four goals in his first pre-season game against Collingwood in the NAB Cup at Carrara Oval.

Thomas made his AFL debut in Round 1 of the 2007 season, scoring no goals but five behinds in a loss against Collingwood.

In 2010 Thomas led North Melbourne's goalkicking with 29 goals which included 7 against Carlton in Round 12.

The 2011 season was not a successful season for Thomas. He struggled badly with inaccuracy at goal and was at one stage dropped from the senior side. He finished the season with 21 goals and 36 behinds.

In 2012, Thomas' accuracy improved greatly and he kicked 38.19 for the season. 38 goals for a season was his highest so far. He played 19 games for the year, and was held goalless in only 3 of them. He played his 100th game in Round 12, 2012, against Gold Coast. In September 2012, he signed a two-year deal with the club until the end of 2014. ^[1]

In 2013, Thomas had a career-best season, slotting 53 goals. He also finished seventh in the Coleman Medal, the highest position for a small forward that year.

In the 2014 season Thomas he finished with 45 goals and played in 23 games. ^[2] He continued to play well in 2015 and 2016 and kicked 34 and 37 goals in the seasons respectfully and played in nearly all games. ^[3]

Thomas was delisted by North Melbourne at the end of the 2017 season. Port Adelaide flagged their interest in him following his delisting and then drafted him in the 2017 AFL rookie draft. ^{[4] [5]}

Thomas made his debut for Port Adelaide in round 5 of the 2018 season, kicking one goal in a 34 point loss to Geelong. ^[2]

Ducking controversy

In 2016, Thomas sparked debate over high tackles and whether players are purposely getting taken high and milking a free kick. After the Round 10 game against Sydney, when Thomas allegedly ducked into two tackles, Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton said that Thomas' actions were "not in the spirit of the game". Numerous coaches and supporters said the head high free kicks should be looked at and singled out Thomas. However, the North Melbourne coach, Brad Scott, pointed out that there are many duckers in the league and it happens every week but everyone seems to blame Thomas. ^[6]

References

1. Windley, Matt (21 September 2012). "North forward Lindsay Thomas signs on for two more seasons". Herald Sun.
2. "AFL Tables - Lindsay Thomas - Stats - Statistics". afltables.com.
3. "2015 review: Lindsay Thomas - NMFC.com.au". nmfc.com.au.
4. Navaratnam, Dinny (3 November 2017). "Veteran Roo free to explore options after delisting".
5. "Lindsay Thomas joins Port Adelaide in rookie draft - portadelaidefc.com.au". portadelaidefc.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
6. "AFL gives Thomas frees thumbs up". Herald Sun. 28 May 2016.

External links

• Lindsay Thomas's profile on the official website of the North Melbourne Football Club
• Lindsay Thomas's playing statistics from AFL Tables