Leigh Montagna

Leigh Montagna
Personal information
Full name Leigh Montagna
Nickname(s) Joey
Date of birth (1983-11-02) 2 November 1983
Original team(s) Northern Knights (TAC Cup)
Draft #37, 2001 National Draft, St Kilda
Height/Weight 178cm / 78kg
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club St Kilda
Number 11
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2002– St Kilda 253 (146)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2008–2010, 2014–2015 Australia 5 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2015 season.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2010.
Career highlights

Leigh Montagna (born 2 November 1983) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Montagna was recruited as the number 37 draft pick in the 2001 AFL Draft. He is a midfielder with St Kilda Football Club.

AFL career

Montagna is a hard running wingman who is known for his kicking ability and teamwork. He enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2006, only missing one match and gathering over 400 disposals for the season. He averaged 19 disposals a game, increasing his averages in both contested and uncontested possessions. He is a strong tackler.

He was recruited to the St Kilda Football Club as the number 37 draft pick in the 2001 AFL Draft.

2004 season: Wizard Home Loans Cup

Montagna played in St Kilda’s 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup winning side.[1]

In Round 8, 2007, in a match against Hawthorn, Montagna suffered a broken jaw but only missed one week with the injury. Although 2007 was the first since 2004 that the St Kilda side had missed out on playing in the finals series, it was the season that saw Montagna become a top line AFL footballer. Montagna played consistently throughout the season and continued the improvement he had shown in 2006. He played an accountable and hard running role through St Kilda's midfield, averaging 24 disposals and 3 tackles per game and kicking 10 goals for the year.[2] Some of Montagna's highlights for the year included best on ground performances against the Kangaroos, Richmond and Hawthorn in the second half of the year. Montagna was rewarded for his efforts with a third-place finish in St Kilda's 2007 best and fairest.[3]

2008 season: NAB Cup

Montagna played in St Kilda’s 2008 NAB Cup winning side - the club's third pre-season cup win.[4][5]

2009 season

Montagna averaged 27.9 disposals and 6.25 tackles in 2009.[2]

Montagna played in 21 of 22 matches in the 2009 season in which St Kilda qualified in first position for the finals series.[6] He played in the 2009 AFL Grand Final in which St Kilda were defeated by 12 points.

2010 season

Montagna played 26 games in 2010, including four finals, and averaged 28.6 possessions.[7] He finished second in St Kilda's Best & Fairest Award (Trevor Barker Medal), and was selected in the AFL's All-Australian team for the second year in a row.

Personal

Montagna was involved in a police investigation of a woman's claims of being raped by St Kilda player, Stephen Milne at Montagna's house in 2004. No allegations were made against Montagna. Charges against Milne were not laid by the police at that time; however, the story resurfaced in June 2010 when a former senior detective, Scott Gladman, said that he was pressured to do the "right thing" by another police officer during the 2004 investigation and that the alleged victim's statements were released to the football club before the decision to drop the case was made.[8] Milne was subsequently charged with four counts of rape and committed for trial on three counts of rape. In 2014 he married his girlfriend of four years, Erinn Byrne. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "AFL 2004 Wizard Cup Grand Final - Geelong v St Kilda". Slattery Media Group. 2004-03-13. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  2. 1 2 "AFL Tables: Leigh Montagna". AFL Tables. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  3. ↑ Lane, Samantha (6 October 2007). "Riewoldt wins record fourth gong". Real Footy. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  4. ↑ "St Kilda wins NAB cup". The Age (Melbourne). 8 March 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  5. ↑ "Saints are NAB Cup Champions in 2008". Jeld-Wen. 8 March 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  6. ↑ "2009 Season Scores and Results - Ladder". AFL Tables. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
  7. ↑ "Leigh Montagna player profile".
  8. ↑ Millar, Paul; Gleeson, Michael (22 June 2010). "Detective 'pressured' over Saints rape claim". The Age (Melbourne). Retrieved 2010-07-22.
  9. ↑ https://twitter.com/clementine_ford/status/430148766012669952

External links

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