David Wirrpanda

David Wirrpanda
Wirrpanda with West Coast in 2005
Personal information
Full name	David Selwyn Burralung Merringwuy Galarrwuy Wyal Wirrpanda[1]
Nickname(s)	"Wirra"
Date of birth	(1979-08-03) 3 August 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Carlton, Victoria, Australia
Original team(s)	Healesville (YVMDFL)
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	82 kg (181 lb)
Position(s)	Defender, forward
Playing career
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1996–2009	West Coast	227 (131)
International team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
2003	Australia	2 (0)
Career highlights
All-Australian team 2005 West Coast Eagles premiership side 2006
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

David Selwyn Burralung Merringwuy Galarrwuy Wyal Wirrpanda (/wɪrəˈpʌndə/ wirr-ə-PUN-də; born 3 August 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his career with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Selected by West Coast during the 1995 draft period, Wirrpanda made his debut for the club during the following season. Having played his first game for West Coast at the age of 16 years and 268 days, he remains the youngest player to have played a senior game for the club.

Limited by injuries in his first few seasons, Wirrpanda did not establish himself as a regular player until the early 2000s, usually playing out of a back pocket or across a half-back flank. Outstanding form in these positions led to his selection in the 2005 All-Australian team, and the following season he was a member of the West Coast premiership side that defeated Sydney in the 2006 grand final. Often playing as a small forward towards the end of his career, Wirrpanda retired at the end of the 2009 season, finishing with 227 games for the club. Since the conclusion of his playing career, he has involved himself in charity work, including the establishment of the Wirrpanda Foundation, an organisation supporting Indigenous Australians. Wirrpanda has also expressed a desire to enter politics, and unsuccessfully contested 2013 federal election as the National Party's candidate for the Senate in Western Australia.