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Career Profile

He came to Essendon as a hard-nosed defender who was rarely beaten in a one-on-one contest. He was mature and very strong at the ball and able to match up on both big and small forwards.

Welsh debuted in Round 7, 2002 at the MCG against Carlton, and made an excellent impression in his first year with his strong attack on the ball. He finished the year with 15 senior games, including both finals. He played 22 games in 2003 and developed into an aggressive back pocket player with plenty of drive.

He had a solid year in 2004 despite breaking his hand in the opening round, and finished tenth in the Club's Best and Fairest , accumulating a total of 359 possessions in 22 senior games. He played mainly in the backline where he was rarely beaten.

Welsh had become a very reliable defender and provided solid support for Dustin Fletcher in the backline. He not only consistently contained his opponent, but won many possessions himself. This on-field leadership was acknowledged by his team-mates at the end of 2004 when he was elevated into the leadership group.

He missed only a hand full of games over the next few seasons and consistantly provided rebound from defence, winning one-on-one duels, running hard, and using the ball creatively from the half-back line.

He suffered a horrific injury in an intra-club match when he broke his leg and dislocated his ankle. However he made a surprisingly quick comeback and played his first game for the year in rd 12. Even more surprising was his next game when he put in a superb performance on Carlton's Chris Judd, winning the three Brownlow votes for that match.

Welsh played his 150th game for Essendon in the 2010 Anzac Day clash with Collingwood, but was injured the following week and missed the next four games. He returned to play another five games but then missed the rest of the season.

Draft History: 2001 National AFL Draft 3rd round selection (Essendon) No. 47 overall, traded by Port Adelaide for
Damien Hardwick
Player Honours: Best 1st year player 2002
Cheer squad award 2003
Most courageous player 2004
Striving for excellence award 2007
Bill Hutchison award 2007
Career Brownlow medal votes: 8

View Andrew's profile in our Past Player database

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