Matt Suckling

Matt Suckling
File:Mattsuckling.jpg
Personal information
Date of birth	(1988-07-25) 25 July 1988
Place of birth	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Original team(s)	East Wagga-Kooringal (Riverina Football League) Wagga Tigers (AFL Canberra)
Draft	No. 81, 2009 AFL Rookie Draft
Height/Weight	186cm / 82 kg
Position(s)	Defender
Club information
Current club	Western Bulldogs
Number	1
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2009–2015 2016– Total	Hawthorn Western Bulldogs	102 (51) 001 (1) 103 (52)
International team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
2011	Australia	2 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2015 season. 2 State and international statistics correct as of 2011.
Career highlights
2× AFL premiership player: 2014, 2015

Matt Suckling (born 25 July 1988) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Suckling is known as a player with precision kicking and link-up play from Hawthorn's defence. Characteristic of his style of play is his very long range, very accurate kicking.

Hailing from Wagga Wagga, Suckling played football with Isaac Smith in the Wagga Hawks for several years before both moved to the Wagga Tigers where they won two premierships.

Rookie

First drafted by the club at pick 22 in the 2007 Rookie Draft. He was struck down by osteitis pubis for most of 2007 but was retained on the rookie list for 2008. Suckling was redrafted to Hawthorn's rookie list by the club at pick 81 in the 2009 Rookie Draft.

He should not be confused with another "Matthew Suckling" - although Hawthorn themselves nearly made this mistake at the 2009 rookie draft when:

"On the day Hawthorn redrafted him as had been arranged, the recruiter read out the wrong registration number at the rookie draft, momentarily selecting another Matt Suckling, Sandringham Dragons' best-and-fairest player in the under-18 competition." Kicking back

He was then finally drafted to Hawthorn's senior list with pick 70 in the 2009 AFL Draft.

Career

He made his debut for Hawthorn in the opening round of the 2009 AFL season in the rematch of the 2008 AFL Grand Final against Geelong. The 20-year-old defender was one of three Hawks playing their first game in the MCG blockbuster. Omitted the next week because of injury, Suckling was unable to break back into the side; he was listed as an emergency later in the year. In 2010 he played five games, and was on the verge of selection for most of the season.

2011 was a breakthrough year for Suckling; with his precision kicking and link-up play he became a key to Hawthorn's defence. Characteristic of his style of play is his very long range, very accurate kicking.

Suckling was selected as the Australia international rules football team's goalkeeper for the 2011 International Rules Series in Australia. Australia lost the series 2-0, with a 130-65 aggregate score. Suckling was one of two Hawthorn players selected for the team, along with Liam Shiels.

Suckling was one of three Hawthorn players to play every game in 2012.

During the 2013 NAB Cup pre season competition Suckling tore his anterior cruciate ligament whilst playing against Richmond. Suckling missed the entire 2013 season due to the injury that required a full knee reconstruction.

Suckling returned to the side in 2014, and would go on to claim his elusive premiership medal in the clubs 2014 Grand Final win. He followed this up with a premiership win in 2015, starting the game as a substitute and coming on late in the third quarter for David Hale; with abolition of the substitute rule at the end of the 2015 AFL season, this meant that Suckling became the last player to be substituted into a game. Following the Grand Final, Suckling exercised his right as a free agent and joined the Western Bulldogs.

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2014 season

Season	Team	#	Games	G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
			Totals								Averages (per game)
2009	Hawthorn	42	1	0	0	5	9	14	2	0	0.0	0.0	5.0	9.0	14.0	2.0	0.0
2010	Hawthorn	31	5	0	1	42	31	73	16	6	0.0	0.2	8.4	6.2	14.6	3.2	1.2
2011	Hawthorn	31	23	8	11	351	140	491	138	45	0.3	0.5	15.3	6.1	21.3	6.0	2.0
2012	Hawthorn	4	25	16	11	333	166	499	140	40	0.6	0.4	13.3	6.6	20.0	5.6	1.6
2013	Hawthorn	4	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2014	Hawthorn	4	23	12	8	306	173	479	113	32	0.5	0.3	13.3	7.5	20.8	4.9	1.4
Career			77	36	31	1037	519	1556	409	123	0.5	0.4	13.5	6.7	20.2	5.3	1.6

External links

• Matt Suckling's profile on the official website of the Western Bulldogs
• Matt Suckling's statistics from AFL Tables