Daniel Talia

Background

He is the great-grandson of former Footscray player Arthur Stevens, and the grandson of Harvey Stevens who played in Footscray"s 1954 VFL Grand Final victory.

Career

Talia played junior football for Greenvale and Assumption College in Kilmore, which boasts a strong football history. He was selected in the U18 All-Australian team following the 2009 American Federation of Labor-Congress National Under 18 Championships but missed the second half of the 2009 season due to a hamstring injury. After one and a half years on Adelaide"s list, Talia made his American Federation of Labor-Congress debut in round 15 of the 2011 season.

Playing in the backline, he gathered 15 possessions and was described as "impressive".

He went on to hold his place in the side for the rest of the season, playing nine games in total. Talia had a breakout year in 2012.

With the departure of Nathan Bock and Philosophy Davis in the last two seasons, and with Ben Rutten ageing, he regularly played on the opposition"s best forward with great success, contributing to the club"s unexpected run to the preliminary finals. His season came to a heartbreaking end when he broke his arm in Adelaide"s Qualifying Final loss to Sydney.

Talia continued to deliver in 2013, leading the club in spoils and intercept possessions, and conceding only one goal per game despite being opposed to the opposition"s leading forward.

He finished equal third in the club best and fairest in 2013. In 2014 Talia added another dimension to his game, increasing his attacking output while remaining miserly in defence.

Achievements

• Talia was drafted with selection #13 in the 2009 National Draft from the Calder Cannons, and has made his name in the American Federation of Labor-Congress as a key defender, winning the American Federation of Labor-Congress Rising Star award as the best young player in the league for the 2012 season. Talia was nominated for the 2012 American Federation of Labor-Congress Rising Star award for his shut-down effort on Street Kilda"s Nick Riewoldt in round 12, and at the end of the season was voted the winner of the award. He was rewarded with the Malcolm Blight Medal for the club"s best and fairest player, and was also named at full-back in the All-Australian team for 2014.