Declan Mountford (born 13 February 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club and the West Coast Eagles Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and is currently playing for Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Mountford was born in the small town of Manypeaks in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.[1] After playing colts and senior football at North Albany Football Club as well as five games in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, he moved to Perth playing for Claremont Football Club.[2]

Declan Mountford
Mountford playing for North Melbourne in June 2017
Personal information
Full name Declan Mountford
Date of birth (1997-02-13) 13 February 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Manypeaks, Western Australia
Original team(s) Claremont (WAFL)
Draft No. 60, 2015 national draft
Debut Round 1, 2017, North Melbourne vs. West Coast, at Marvel Stadium
Height 181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 76 kg (168 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club West Coast
Number 52
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2016–2018 North Melbourne 12 (3)
2022 West Coast 2 (1)
Total 14 (4)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 8 2022.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

He was drafted by the North Melbourne Football Club with their fifth selection and sixtieth overall in the 2015 national draft.[3] Following the draft Mountford played for Werribee Football Club, who are affiliated to North Melbourne, during the 2016 season in the Victorian Football League, as both a midfielder and as a tagger.[4]

He made his AFL debut in the forty-three point loss against West Coast in the opening round of the 2017 season at Etihad Stadium.[5]

He was delisted by North Melbourne at the end of the 2018 season[6] and returned to Western Australia to play for Claremont. In 2021 he was appointed as the co-captain of Claremont[7] and represented Western Australia in the interstate match against South Australia.[8]

Mountford returned to the AFL for the West Coast Eagles in Round 2 of the 2022 season as part of the club's top-up list, after the club was hit by injuries and COVID-19 protocols.[9] Mountford was entered into the squad after midfielder Jackson Nelson suffered a knee injury during a warm-up session, forcing West Coast coach Adam Simpson to call him up against his old side North Melbourne. He got another opportunity in round 8 against Brisbane. Mountford had 8 disposals as a medi-sub.

References edit

  1. ^ Dannielle Le Messurier (22 November 2015). "WA's footy hopefuls suit up ahead of the AFL draft". Perthnow. Seven West Media. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  2. ^ Cameron Newbold (26 November 2015). "Mountford's dedication rewarded in draft". Albany Advertiser. Yahoo7. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Pick 60: Declan Mountford". NMFC.com.au. Bigpond. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  4. ^ Guilo de Giorgio (18 August 2016). "Mountford hitting his stride". Telstra Media. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  5. ^ King, Travis (24 March 2017). "TEAMS: Geelong midfield takes a hit with late out". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  6. ^ Bowen, Nick (4 October 2018). "Hard-running Roo cut as North clears space". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  7. ^ Stubber, Taj (18 March 2021). "Claremont name Mountford and Hardisty as co-captains". Albany Advertiser. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  8. ^ "WAFL announce Kia Australia WA State Team". West Australian Football League. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  9. ^ Rogers, Samantha (27 March 2022). "Eagles lose another player for Roos clash in warm-up". The West Australian. Retrieved 27 March 2022.

External links edit