Danielle Ponter | |||
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Personal information | |||
Date of birth | 8 January 2000 | ||
Place of birth | Darwin, Northern Territory | ||
Original team(s) |
St Mary's (
NTFL) Essendon ( VFLW) | ||
Draft | No. 48, 2018 AFLW draft | ||
Debut | Round 2, 2019, Adelaide vs. Carlton, at Ikon Park | ||
Height | 161 cm (5 ft 3 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Adelaide | ||
Number | 15 | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2019– | Adelaide | 58 (66) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2023. | |||
Career highlights | |||
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Source: AustralianFootball.com |
Danielle Ponter (born 8 January 2000) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She played for St Mary's and Essendon in her junior career, typically as a forward. Ponter was selected with pick 48 in the 2018 AFL Women's draft and made her debut in round 2 of the 2019 season. She was nominated for the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award in round 4.
Ponter was born in Darwin, Northern Territory. [1] She had a strong footballing background as part of the noted Rioli–Long family; [2] she is the niece of former Essendon player Michael Long and the cousin of former Hawthorn footballer Cyril Rioli. [3] Ponter began playing for St Mary's at 11 in the under-16 female division of Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), in the 2011–12 season. [3] [4] She won the Sharyn Smith Medal, the division best and fairest, in four consecutive seasons. [4]
"The things she can do with a footy are phenomenal. I don't know if I've seen any other young player like her."
Aasta O'Connor, AFLW talent manager [3]
Ponter competed at the 2014 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships for the Thunder Devils (a combined Northern Territory– Tasmania team) at 14. [3] She competed at the next three championships [3] and additionally played for the Central Allies in a state of origin match in 2017 [5] and 2018. [6] Ponter attended the 2018 AFLW draft combine [7] and was a member of the 2018 AFLW Academy, one of twenty-nine seventeen-year-old prospects. [8] She played for Essendon's VFL Women's side in 2018, kicking six goals in six matches. [3] Ahead of the 2018 AFLW draft, prospects nominated a state or region they wished to play in; Ponter chose South Australia, meaning Adelaide, as the only South Australian club, was the only team with an opportunity to select her. [3]
Ponter was drafted by Adelaide with pick 48 in the 2018 AFLW draft, their fifth selection. [7] She continued to play in the NTFL prior to the 2019 AFL Women's season. She was not selected for the opening round of the 2019 season; coach Matthew Clarke acknowledged she was "pretty stiff to miss out". [9] Ponter made her debut the next round, playing as a defender in contrast to her usual position of forward in her junior career. [10] This made her the first member of the Rioli–Long family to play top-level women's Australian rules football. [7] She returned to the forward line in round 4 and received a nomination for the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award after kicking two goals. [10]