Matthew Jaensch (born 18 September 1989) is a former professional Australian rules football player for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Jaensch was Adelaide's third selection in the 2009 Rookie Draft, taken at pick #46.

Matthew Jaensch
Personal information
Full name Matthew Jaensch
Date of birth (1989-09-18) 18 September 1989 (age 34)
Place of birth Hahndorf, South Australia[1]
Original team(s) Hahndorf (HFL)
Sturt (SANFL)
Draft No. 46, 2009 Rookie Draft, Adelaide
No. 97 (RP), 2010 National Draft, Adelaide
Debut Round 6, 2010, Adelaide vs. Port Adelaide, at AAMI Stadium
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 82 kg (12 st 13 lb; 181 lb)
Position(s) Small defender, small forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2010–2016 Adelaide 74 (25)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Pre-AFL career edit

Jaensch commenced his junior career in the Hills Football League with the Hahndorf Football Club, before working his way through the underage ranks at SANFL club Sturt. He impressed Adelaide scouts after a break-out season with Sturt in 2009, in which he played 20 league games and kicked the winning goal in the preliminary final against Glenelg.[2] Jaensch was previously an apprentice electrician and supported Essendon prior to being drafted.[3]

AFL career edit

Jaensch made his AFL debut in round 6, 2010, against Port Adelaide. He played eleven games for the season, playing mainly as a small forward. He shifted to defence in 2011 to great effect, playing 13 games before missing the last month of the season with a shoulder injury. He continued to impress in the first half of 2012, with his offensive run and long kicking a highlight, before struggling in the latter half with a groin injury that eventually required surgery. Jaensch was in and out of the side in 2013, playing 11 games at half-back and half-forward, where he was trialled to bolster the struggling forward line.[4]

In 2014, Jaensch had a career-best season, playing all 22 games. Playing as a running defender, he led the club in marks and was second in metres gained. In round 7, 2015, in a match against St Kilda, Jaensch suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and missed the rest of the season.[5] He was charged with drink driving during his rehabilitation from the injury.[6]

Jaensch announced his retirement from AFL football in February 2016.[7]

Statistics edit

[8]
Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2010 Adelaide 48 11 7 4 82 51 133 43 34 0.6 0.4 7.5 4.6 12.1 3.9 3.1
2011 Adelaide 10 13 4 2 145 95 240 50 30 0.3 0.2 11.2 7.3 18.5 3.9 2.3
2012 Adelaide 10 10 3 2 102 42 144 42 22 0.3 0.2 10.2 4.2 14.4 4.2 2.2
2013 Adelaide 10 11 4 3 96 44 140 47 27 0.4 0.3 8.7 4.0 12.7 4.3 2.5
2014 Adelaide 10 22 7 5 297 166 463 126 54 0.3 0.2 13.5 7.6 21.1 5.7 2.5
2015 Adelaide 10 7 0 2 110 32 142 57 17 0.0 0.3 15.7 4.6 20.3 8.1 2.4
2016 Adelaide 10 0
Career 74 25 18 832 430 1262 365 184 0.3 0.2 11.2 5.8 17.1 4.9 2.5

References edit

  1. ^ "Matthew Jaensch Player Profile". Sturtfc.com.au. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  2. ^ "GAME DIARY: Sturt v Glenelg". Eastern Courier Messenger. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  3. ^ "I owe it to Normo: Jaensch". Leader Messenger. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Matthew Jaensch - AFC.com.au". Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Fears confirmed for Jaensch". Adelaide Football Club. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  6. ^ Fjeldstad, Jesper (26 February 2016). "Injured Adelaide Crow Matthew Jaensch retires from AFL". adelaidenow.com.au. The Advertiser. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Jaensch retires from AFL". afc.com.au. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Matthew Jaensch statistics". AFL Tables. Retrieved 23 April 2015.

External links edit