(80th Eagles player)
How many midfielders did West Coast have in the early 1990s that just could not get a game? Connell was one of the legions of WAFL footballers stuck waiting for opportunities behind Kemp, Matera, Mainwaring, Pyke and co.
West Coast career[]
After spending his first year on the senior list at Subiaco, Connell was given a debut in the opening round of the 1993 season. He played the first two games of the year, but managed just one more game midseason against St Kilda and played out the year at the Lions. That’s where he spent the whole 1994 season, unable to work his way into the premiership-winning midfield.
Adelaide career[]
At the end of that season he was traded to Adelaide, where he was immediately successful. Connell played 21 games in his debut season as a Crow and won their best and fairest award. When he ended his AFL career at the end of the 2000 season he had played 96 games in the tri-colours and won two premiership medals.
Post-AFL career[]
On returning to WA, Connell played a few more seasons at Subiaco including being a part of the losing 2003 grand final side.
Stats[]
| AFL | Gm | G | B | K | M | H | D | T | WAFL | Gm | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 0 | Subi | 19 | 11 | ||||||||
| 1993 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 20 | 17 | ||
| 1994 | 0 | 22 | 14 | |||||||||
| Tot | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 0 | ||||
| Avg | 0.0 | 5.7 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/M/Matthew_Connell.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Connell