Majak Daw

Majak Daw (born 11 March 1991) is an Australian rules footballer who last played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos in the Australian Football League (AFL). Daw and his family in Australia are refugees from the civil wars in Sudan. Daw became the first Sudanese Australian to be drafted to an AFL club when he was contracted to North Melbourne in the 2009 AFL Draft. Daw's drafting gained international attention; it was reported by the BBC and the Voice of America. He made his first appearance for North Melbourne in a NAB Cup match on 20 February 2011.

Majak Daw
Daw playing for North Melbourne in April 2018
Personal information
Full name Majak Daw
Date of birth (1991-03-11) 11 March 1991
Place of birth Khartoum, Sudan[1]
Original team(s) Western Jets (TAC Cup)
Height 195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight 97 kg (214 lb)
Position(s) Forward / Ruckman / Defender
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011–2020 North Melbourne 54 (43)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2020.
Career highlights
  • 2016 Mark of the Year
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Daw was born in Khartoum, Sudan, the third of his parents' eventual seven children.[2] His family fled the Second Sudanese Civil War, living in Egypt for three years, then moved to Australia in 2003. Majak attended school at MacKillop College in Werribee.[1][3]

TAC Cup years

Playing for the Western Jets Daw was identified as a future "key position" player by North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.[4] Daw went to the 2009 Victorian Screening portion of the AFL pre-draft testing. He impressed with a 13.6 in the beep test and 3.03 seconds in a 20-metre sprint along with a standing jump of 70 centimetres.[5] He was one of 11 young Australian rules footballers to be given 2010 Mike Fitzpatrick Scholarships awarded by the AFL Players Association and accepted the awards on behalf of the other players.[6]

AFL career

Draft to North Melbourne

Daw was picked up with the ninth pick in the 2010 rookie draft.[7] His draft pick gained international media attention.[3][8] His career at North Melbourne began with playing for VFL club Werribee, where he continued to develop his game. He made his first appearance for North Melbourne in a pre-season NAB cup match against the Western Bulldogs on 20 February 2011.[2] In April 2011, playing for Werribee, Daw kicked an impressive running goal from beyond 50 m out,[9] prompting calls for his inclusion to the senior team.[10]

VFL racism incident

On 4 June 2011, Majak Daw was racially abused by a Port Melbourne Football Club supporter while he was playing for the Werribee Tigers in the VFL.[11] Daw stated that it "made [him] feel really small".[12] The man has since been banned from all VFL games until he completes an anti-racism workshop and formally apologises to Daw for the slur.[13] The incident has led to renewed calls to stamp out racism in sport, with former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu calling Daw a hero.[14]

Suspension from North Melbourne senior team

Daw was suspended from North Melbourne in February 2012 and remanded to the Werribee Tigers for an indefinite period for lying to the club and coach Brad Scott about a "night on the town" during a period in which he was recovering from knee surgery.[15][16]

AFL debut

In 2013, Daw had an excellent showing in the 2013 NAB Cup, which prompted calls for his inclusion in the Senior Side. When tall forward Robbie Tarrant went down with a thigh injury, Daw was brought in to replace him and make his debut in Round 4 against the Brisbane Lions. In the first minute of the game, Daw marked the ball inside 50, and kicked his first AFL goal with his first AFL kick. However, his debut ended on a sour note when he collided with teammate Ben Cunnington and suffered a concussion before quarter time, and he took no further part in the game. North went on to win the game by 63 points.

Daw held his spot and played the next week, scoring no goals but three behinds against Hawthorn. In Round 7 against the Western Bulldogs, Majak had a breakout performance in just his fourth career game, kicking a game-high 6 goals in North's 54-point win. After the match, North Melbourne coach Brad Scott said of Majak: "'Maj' is a good example of what you can do with really hard work. Hard work trumps talent any day of the week."[17]

2015–present

He was delisted in October 2015,[18] however, he was re-drafted in the 2016 rookie draft.[19]

In 2016, Majak Daw won mark of the year after taking a specky against Collingwood. Majak played the most games in a season in his career at that point with nine in addition to playing in his first final, which was in the elimination final against Adelaide and kicking four goals despite North Melbourne losing 141–79.

In 2017, after having a season full of injuries and only managing to play seven games in total, at the end of the 2017 AFL season Daw eyed more versatility as an AFL player.

In the 2018 offseason, Daw changed his position from a forward to a defender. Daw sought this change as he thought it was his last chance at thriving in the AFL. Majak played his first game as a defender against Carlton in the AFLX series. Later on in round 3 against Melbourne, Daw officially played his first game as a defender. Since debuting in his first game as a defender Daw has led North Melbourne to the number-2 defense in the AFL.

Daw was delisted by North Melbourne at the end of the 2020 AFL season after a mass delisting by North Melbourne which saw 11 players cut from the team's list.[20]

Personal life

On 1 July 2014, Daw was charged with three counts of rape relating to an alleged sexual assault incident in Altona North in 2007. He had been previously arrested and interviewed over the allegations in May 2014. Daw denied the allegations, while North Melbourne stated that he would remain available for selection.[21] On 3 December 2015, Daw was found not guilty on all counts.[22]

On 18 December 2018 Daw abandoned his vehicle on the Bolte Bridge and jumped into the Yarra River 25 metres (82 ft) below. Motorists on the bridge raised the alarm around 11 pm and he was recovered from the river by police and paramedics. He suffered broken hips and pelvis. In July 2019, Daw made a return for the North Melbourne VFL affiliate against Sandringham, the VFL affiliate of St Kilda.[23] Daw made his AFL return on 1 August 2020 in a win against Adelaide, kicking one goal.

References
  1. Hanlon, Peter (21 June 2009). "Out of Africa, into the team". Melbourne: The Age. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  2. McFarlane, Glenn (20 February 2011). "Majak Daw's big move". Sunday Herald Sun. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  3. Mercer, Phil (16 December 2009). "Sudanese Teenager Makes Sports History in Australia". Voice of America. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  4. Gullam, Scott (7 December 2009). "Roos, Dogs believe in Majak". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  5. "Majak Daw profile". Australian Football League. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  6. Murnane, Jason (14 September 2009). "2010 Mike Fitzpatrick Scholarships announced". AFL Players Association. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  7. "Power spring Harding surprise". ABC News (Australia). 15 December 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  8. Mercer, Phil (16 December 2009). "Australian Rules Football picks first black African". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  9. Diamond, Brent (17 April 2011). "Majak display nothing short of Daw-some". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  10. Daw is just what the Roos need, The Age, Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  11. Stafford, Andrew (5 June 2011). "Swans crush lame Lions". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  12. "Daw says abuse made him feel 'small' ". The Age. Melbourne. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  13. Flower, Wayne (6 June 2011). "VFL footy fan banned for season in wake of Majak Daw race abuse". Herald Sun. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  14. Langmaid, Aaron; Flower, Wayne (7 June 2011). "Majak Daw hailed for action against racist slur". Herald Sun. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  15. Pierik, Jon (9 February 2012). "Sliding Daw: Majak's lies, debts and teammate's ex". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  16. Warner, Michael (9 February 2012). "Majak Daw banned for lying to Roos coach". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  17. Collins, Ben (11 May 2013). "Hype similar, but Daw a long way from Nic Nat: Scott". AFL Website. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  18. Cleary, Mitch; Sutton, Ben (29 October 2015). "Door left ajar for Majak as Roos confirm list changes". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  19. "Daw added as rookie". nmfc.com.au. Bigpond. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  20. McGowan, Marc. "Roos' massive cull: North delists ELEVEN after horror season". AFL Media. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  21. "North Melbourne footballer Majak Daw charged with rape". 1 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  22. Cooper, Adam (3 December 2015). "AFL footballer Majak Daw not guilty of raping 15-year-old girl". The Age. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  23. Le Grand, Chip. "Majak Daw: fame hid pain of AFL trailblazer who tackled two worlds". The Australian. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
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