Allen Christensen (footballer)

This article is about the Australian rules footballer. For the American politician, see Allen M. Christensen.
Allen Christensen

Allen Christensen
Personal information
Full name Allen Christensen
Nickname(s) Bundy[1]
Date of birth (1991-05-19) 19 May 1991
Original team(s) Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)
Draft #40, 2009 National Draft
Height / weight 177 cm / 76 kg
Position(s) Forward / Midfielder
Club information
Current club Brisbane Lions
Number 3
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011–2014
2015–
Total		 Geelong
Brisbane Lions		 65 (56)
33 (26)
98 (82)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
Career highlights

Allen Christensen (born 19 May 1991) is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing for Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.

Early life

Born and raised in the Geelong rural suburb of Lara to parents Brendan and Helen,[2] Christensen played junior football with the Lara Football Club, and later the St Mary's Football Club in Darwin as an under-15 and under-16 player while his father coached the senior side for two seasons in 2005 and 2006.[3]

Upon his return to Victoria in 2007, Christensen joined the Geelong Falcons where he played in the TAC Cup. In 2009, he finished runner-up in the TAC Cup's Morrish Medal after averaging 26 disposals per game.[4] He also earned TAC Cup Team of the Year honours.[5]

AFL career

Christensen was selected with 40th overall pick by the Geelong Football Club in the 2009 AFL draft.[6] Prior to the draft, however, he was predicted to be drafted in the range of 10-25, and was interviewed by a total of 12 clubs in the recruiting process.[6] This lower than expected outcome has led to media reports retrospectively citing him as an "absolute steal" for Geelong.[7]

Christensen did not make a senior appearance in his first season with Geelong; instead, he played with the club's VFL reserves team, where he played in 16 games.[8] His consistent performance in the VFL was recognised in being listed among the "best players" for nine of these matches,[8] as well as being selected as an emergency for the senior team twice during the 2010 season. Christensen's individual season in the VFL was recognised with a fourth-placed finish in the team's best and fairest award.[9]

Geelong (2011–2014)

Christensen made his debut in the second round of the 2011 AFL season against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval in Perth.[10] As the club's substitute for the match, he subbed in late in the third quarter and finished the game with eight disposals, assisting Geelong to an 11-point victory.[11]

As a result of his performance in Geelong's round 18 game against Richmond, in which he garnered 26 disposals and scored two goals, Christensen was nominated for the 2011 AFL Rising Star award.[9] He was later named to Geelong's grand final side that defeated Collingwood in the 2011 AFL Grand Final.

During the 2014 season, Christensen struggled with back injuries and only managed eight games for the season.

Brisbane (2015–)

Following the conclusion of the 2014 season, Christensen requested a trade to a Queensland-based club, citing a change in lifestyle and personal reasons for the decision. On 13 October 2014, he was officially traded to the Brisbane Lions in exchange for pick number 21 in the 2014 AFL draft.[12][13]

Player profile

At the time of being drafted, Christensen's draft biography described him as a "prolific ball winner who amasses plenty of contested possessions" as well as being a "sound decision-maker who is extremely clever around goals." Additionally, Christensen himself felt he best resembled Simon Black as a footballer due to Black's ability to gain possessions while being a "good stoppage player".[14]

Statistics

Statistics are correct as at the end of the 2014 season.[15]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team # Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
2010 Geelong 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2011 Geelong 28 19 18 11 154 150 304 59 70 1.0 0.6 8.1 7.9 16.0 3.1 3.7
2012 Geelong 28 17 9 9 166 163 329 47 63 0.5 0.5 9.8 9.6 19.4 2.8 3.7
2013 Geelong 28 21 23 14 212 231 443 68 85 1.1 0.7 10.1 11.0 21.1 3.2 4.0
2014 Geelong 28 8 6 6 91 78 169 27 31 0.8 0.8 11.4 9.8 21.1 3.4 3.9
Career 65 56 40 623 622 1245 201 249 0.9 0.6 9.6 9.6 19.2 3.1 3.8

Honours and achievements

Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
2011 1
2012 0
2013 5
2014 1
Total 7

Team

Individual

Personal life

Christensen is the nephew of former Geelong players Marty and Damien Christensen,[16] and is of Indigenous Australian heritage. He also has two brothers and two sisters.[3] In 2015 he appeared in a segment on the documentary DVD for Australian hardcore band, The Amity Affliction, as a "famous fan" alongside Chad Cornes and Daniel Riccardo.

References

  1. ↑ McFarlane, Glenn (24 July 2011). "Young Cat Allen Christensen plays a weighting game". Herald Sun. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Hanlon, Peter (20 May 2011). "Allen Christensen, sub machine". The Age. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 Hanlon, Peter (10 May 2013). "Sharing in a football family's adventure". The Age. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Geelong - draft rundown". Herald Sun. 26 November 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "2009 TAC Cup Team of the Year". Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 Breen, Daniel (27 November 2009). "Bombs away as Geelong Falcon Allen Christensen stays at home". Velocity Sports. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Pickering, Paul (22 November 2011). "Foxsports.com.au takes a look at your AFL club's track record at the national draft; have your say now". Fox Sports. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Player statistics for Allen Christensen". Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 Holmesby, Luke (26 July 2011). "NAB AFL Rising Star round 18: Allen Christensen". AFL.com.au. BigPond. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  10. ↑ Gullan, Scott; Clark, Jay (1 April 2011). "Geelong star Joel Selwood a late withdrawal from Fremantle clash". Herald Sun. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  11. ↑ Fremantle defeated by Geelong
  12. ↑ Lions land Christensen
  13. ↑ Allen Christensen gets trade from Geelong to Brisbane Lions in exchange for pick No.21
  14. ↑ Allen Christensen (Geelong Falcons/Vic Country) – Draft Profile
  15. ↑ "Allen Christensen stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Green, Bradley (27 November 2009). "Geelong Cats says [sic] draft picks can walk straight into team". Archived from the original on 6 January 2010.

External links

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