Corey Wagner has offered an emotional tribute to the Fremantle Dockers after playing his 50th AFL game at Perth Stadium on Sunday almost nine years to the day after his first game.
Discarded twice by opposition clubs, the 28-year-old Queenslander said he “owes everything” to the Dockers after they rescued him from the football scrap heap via the 2022 AFL draft.
“I get emotional talking about it,” he told ABC radio post-game.
“They were the only club to look at me when I was at Port Melbourne, and I don’t want to let them down (because) they’ve given me a lifeline ... and they’ve given me an opportunity to start a family.”
Wagner has now played 31 games in three years at the Dockers after 19 games at North Melbourne in 2016-17 and 11 games with Melbourne in 2019 and has become a valued member of a side that is bound for the finals.
Often used as a midfield tagger by coach Justin Longmuir this year, he was thrown onto North ace Luke Davies-Uniacke after he’d threatened to take the game away from the home side and quelled his influence magnificently.
And he closed out the win with a long running goal in the final term before he was mobbed by adoring teammates and then pushed to the front of the group to lead them off the ground.
Wagner, a third generation member of one of Queensland football’s most illustrious families, grandson of Hall of Famer Gary Wagner, played his 50th game against North three days short of nine years after his AFL debut on Friday 17 June 2016.
He’s one of just four members of the North side that day still in the AFL. Luke McDonald, now 30, is still at North and played his 216th game on Sunday, while 36-year-old Todd Goldstein is at Essendon and played his 337th game on Saturday, and Mason Wood, a 31-year-old now at St Kilda, played his 146th game on Thursday night.
But none have had a journey like Wagner, who in a way was rejected even before his AFL career had begun.
A Brisbane Lions Academy product from Sandgate via Aspley, was overlooked by his home club in the 2015 National Draft when, having already drafted fellow Queenslanders Eric Hipwood, and Ben Keays plus Victorian Rhys Mathieson they elected not to match a bid from North at #43.
His time at North and Melbourne was limited, and when he made his new football home at Port Melbourne in the VFL during the Covid season of 2020 it looked for all money like his AFL career was over.
But in the 2022 National Draft, headed by GWS’ Aaron Cadman at #, Brisbane’s Will Ashcroft at #2 and North’s Harry Sheezel at #3, the Dockers took a calculated punt on him at pick #57 that sparked one of the great stories of Queensland football.
Of 91 first-time draftees in 2015 Wagner is one of only 38 still playing in the AFL, and is almost 150 games behind Clayton Oliver (196) and Daniel Rioli (195), who head the games list from the Class of 2015.
But the resilience of the now bearded one-time small forward turned defender turned midfielder turned proud new father is something special.
Of 208 Queenslanders to play in the AFL Wagner is the 84th to reach 50 games. And the first to have played at three clubs on route to his half-century.
All but 13 of the other 83 played 50 games at their first club, with the two-club exceptions being Mabior Chol, Michael Gibson, Scott Harding, Tom Hickey, Rhan Hooper, Ben Keays, Lachy Keeffe, Trent Knobel, Craig Potter, Daniel Pratt, Sam Reid, Brett Voss and Lachie Weller.
It’s all part of an interesting statistical comparison of Queensland football’s 50-game club.
YOUNGEST & OLDEST
Michael Voss, just 20 days beyond his 20th birthday, is the youngest Queensland 50-gamer and one of 70 to reach this mark before his 21st birthday. Others have been Jason Akermanis (20/159), Harris Andrews (20/203), Marcus Ashcroft (20/214), Nick Riewoldt (20/317), Scott McIvor (20/322) and Eric Hipwood (20/332).
Wagner at 28 years 83 days is the fifth-oldest behind Keeffe (28/350), Warren Jones (28/236), Reid (28/178) and Ben Hudson (28/155).
MOST POSSESSIONS
Scott McIvor, who began his AFL journey under Robert Walls at Fitzroy, had 977 possessions at 50 games to top the possession count by one from Dayne Beams (976) and Cheynee Stiller (951). Michael Voss (910), Josh Thomas (903), Troy Clarke (884), Marcus Ashcroft (878), Dayne Zorko and Andrew Raines (872) and Josh Drummond (871) complete the top 10.
MOST GOALS
Jason Dunstall is clear at the top of the 50-game goal mark with 165. Next best was Kurt Tippett (83), Eric Hipwood (77), Che Cockatoo-Collins (71), Mabior Chol (67) and Charlie Cameron (60). There are seven others above 50 - Jason Akermanis (57), Charlie Dixon and Ricky Petterd (50), Nick Riewoldt (53), Dayne Zorko (52), Rhan Hooper and Jesse White (51) and Dayne Beams (50).
BEST WIN %
Jason Dunstall and Robert Copeland share the best win ratio at 50 games, both going 39-11 at 78%, to head Lee Spurr (77.6%), Dayne Beams (77.1%), Jaspa Fletcher (75.0%), Frank Dunell (74.0%), Jamie Charman (73.5%), Warren Jones (70.4%) and Hawthorn’s Stephen Lawrence (70.0%).
Bailey Scott, a Suns Academy project who could have chosen to play on the Gold Coast, endured the toughest run to 50 games with a 12.2% win ratio from six wins and a draw at North Melbourne. Matthew Kennedy (18.0%), Harris Andrews (20.0%), Marcus Ashcroft and Troy Clarke (20.4%) were next lowest.
MOST BROWNLOW VOTES
Jason Dunstall, the #1 product of Coorparoo, heads this category too, having polled 16 votes in his first 50 games despite having played seven finals. Lawrence, his ex-Hawthorn teammate, is next with 12 votes, from Nick Riewoldt and Dayne Zorko (11), Michael Voss (10), Troy Clarke (9) and Queensland’s first 50-gamer Erwin Dornau (9).
Dornau, originally from Kedron, played 54 games with South Melbourne from 1948-52, posting his 50th in Round 7 1951 against Footscray at Lake Oval in which Keith Browning, father of Sydney Swans champion and long-time AFLQ staffer Mark Browning, played his 19th game, and Footscray legend Ted Whitten kicked a career-best seven goals.
MOST FINALS
Jaspa Fletcher, who became the 83rd member of the 50-Game Club this year, played seven finals on his way to 50 games to equal the long-time best of Dunstall in Jason 1985-86. Robert Copeland, Jack Payne, Keidean Coleman, Jarrod Harbrow and Steven Handley each played six finals, and Lee Spurr, Max Hudghton and Jamie Charman five.
Fletcher and Dunstall are the only Queenslanders to play two grand finals inside their first 50 games, while Brent Renouf, Spurr, Charman, Hudghton, Copeland and Steven Handley played one.
Five Queeslanders won a flag inside 50 games - Fletcher, Dunstall, Renouf, Charman and Copeland.
MOST COACHES
Despite his nine-year three-club journey to 50 games Wagner has played under only three coaches – Brad Scott, Simon Goodwin and Justin Longmuir.
This is only half that of Bailey Scott, who had six coaches inside 50 games – Brad Scott, Rhyce Shaw, David Noble, Leigh Adams, Alastair Clarkson and Brett Ratten.
Lachy Keeffe had five at Collingwood and GWS – Mick Malthouse, Nathan Buckley, Leon Cameron, Mark McVeigh and Adam Kingsley. And Rohan Bail played under five coaches inside 50 games at Melbourne – Dean Bailey, Todd Viney, Mark Neeld, Neil Craig and Paul Roos.
AND THE SPECIAL MOMENTS
Three Queenslanders polled three Brownlow votes in their 50th game – Jason Dunstall, Troy Clarke and Shaun Hampson.
Dunstall had a monster day out in what was his first game against Brisbane and his first game in his home state, kicking 11 goals at Carrara, while Clarke earned three votes for 17 possessions in a 53-point Gabba win over St.Kilda in which Alastair Lynch kicked eight goals in his Brisbane debut in 1994.
Hampson polled the only votes of his 98-game career and kicked an equal career-high three goals in his 50th for Carlton against GWS at Marvel in 2012.
Max Hudghton polled one vote in his 50th, Courtenay Dempsey celebrated his 50th on his 23rd birthday, Steven Handley played his 50th in the 1994 grand final, and five others marked their half century in a final – David Armitage, Robert Copeland, Jack Payne (who was in his fourth finals campaign), Brendan Whitecross and Hawthorn’s Stephen Lawrence.
AND THE BIG ONE …
How many of the Queensland’s 84 50-gamers can you name? In chronological order decade by decade, they have been:
1950s – Erwin Dornau
1970s – Ray Smith, Richard Murrie
1980s – Warren Jones, Frank Dunell, Jason Dunstall, Scott McIvor
1990s – Gavin Crosisca, Dean McRae, Michael Gibson, Stephen Lawrence (Haw), Marcus Ashcroft, Craig Potter, Matthew Kennedy, Troy Clarke, Steven Handley, Michael Voss, Che Cockatoo-Collins, Jason Akermanis, Danny Dickfos, Max Hudghton, Steven Lawrence (Bris/StK), Clark Keating.
2000s – Mal Michael, Clint Bizzell, Brett Voss, Mitch Hahn, Nick Riewoldt, Robert Copeland, Jamie Charman, Trent Knobel, Brad Miller, Michael Osborne, David Hale, Daniel Pratt, Ben Hudson, Andrew Raines, Daniel Merrett, Joel Macdonald, Josh Drummond, Cheynee Stiller, Sam Gilbert, Luke McGuane.
2010s – Jarrod Harbrow, Rhan Hooper, Kurt Tippett, Scott Harding, Tom Williams, Courtenay Dempsey, Brent Renouf, Dayne Beams, Ricky Petterd, Jesse White, David Armitage, Brendan Whitecross, Shaun Hampson, Rohan Bail, Dayne Zorko, Zac Smith, Lee Spurr, Rory Thompson, Charlie Dixon, Tom Bell, Tom Hickey, Alex Sexton, Charlie Cameron, Claye Beams, Harris Andrews, Lachie Weller, Sam Reid, Josh Thomas, Eric Hipwood, Lachy Keeffe, Jesse Joyce, Aliir Aliir.
2020’s – Jack Bowes, Ben Keays, Bailey Scott, Mabior Chol, Keidean Coleman, Jack Payne, Elliot Himmelberg, Jaspa Fletcher, Corey Wagner.
