Daniel Wells (footballer)

Daniel Wells (born 3 February 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne and Collingwood in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life
Wells was born and raised in Port Lincoln, South Australia. He played junior football there from the age of nine for local clubs including Mallee Park. A big break in his junior career came when he was selected for an Under 16 international rules football tour to Ireland, where he was chosen as captain. His adeptness to the hybrid game would see him eventually captain Australia at senior level.

Wells moved to Perth, Western Australia as a teenager and starred in the WAFL for the Peel Thunder where he caught the eyes of AFL scouts.

AFL career
Wells was selected by with the number two overall pick in the 2002 AFL draft and made his debut in 2003 playing 18 games and averaging 12 disposals per game. He rose to prominence in 2004 when, against Fremantle, he kicked the AFL Goal of the Year, jumping and taking the ball from ruck contest in the goal square and kicking the goal before he landed.

Wells was selected in the Australian team for the 2005 International Rules Series but was unable to play due to injury. He enjoyed a fairly good year in 2006 in which he averaged 18 disposals and finished 2nd in the Syd Barker Medal.

In 2008, Wells enjoyed a good season averaging 21 disposals and having a big impact in matches in the second half of the season during North Melbourne's winning period. He was rewarded with selection in the Australian side that lost to Ireland in that year's International Rules Series.

The next year was disappointing for Wells, as injuries restricted him to just seven games played in 2009.

In 2011 Wells produced a brilliant and consistent season when he won his first Syd Barker Medal which he shared with Andrew Swallow. He would also be named in the 40 man All Australian squad but would miss out on being part of the final 22.

Following the 2013 season, the two-time best and fairest was chosen to represent Australia in the International Rules Series as captain of the exclusively Indigenous team, a rare and memorable honour.

At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Wells announced his intentions to leave North Melbourne as a free agent and he signed with Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent in October.

On 24 May 2017, it was announced that he would wear number 67 on his guernsey, rather than his usual 3, for the round 10 Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round game against. This was to commemorate the 1967 referendum (which allowed Indigenous Australians to be counted with the general population in the census).

Wells retired in September 2019.

Statistics

 * Statistics are correct to the end of the 2019 season

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2003 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2004 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2005 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2006 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2007 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2008 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2009 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2010 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2011 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2012 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2013 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2014 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2015 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2016 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2017 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2018 ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2019 ! colspan=3| Career ! 258 ! 166 ! 132 ! 3027 ! 1943 ! 4970 ! 1006 ! 681 ! 0.6 ! 0.5 ! 11.7 ! 7.5 ! 19.3 ! 3.9 ! 2.6
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 18 || 10 || 7 || 149 || 67 || 216 || 64 || 39 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 8.3 || 3.7 || 12.0 || 3.6 || 2.2
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 22 || 13 || 8 || 239 || 114 || 353 || 89 || 49 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 10.9 || 5.2 || 16.0 || 4.0 || 2.2
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 22 || 12 || 10 || 246 || 148 || 394 || 86 || 43 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 11.2 || 6.7 || 17.9 || 3.9 || 2.0
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 22 || 11 || 7 || 227 || 180 || 407 || 81 || 53 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 10.3 || 8.2 || 18.5 || 3.7 || 2.4
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 18 || 14 || 18 || 193 || 139 || 332 || 70 || 44 || 0.8 || 1.0 || 10.7 || 7.7 || 18.4 || 3.9 || 2.4
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 21 || 6 || 11 || 271 || 173 || 444 || 92 || 59 || 0.3 || 0.5 || 12.9 || 8.2 || 21.1 || 4.4 || 2.8
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 7 || 4 || 1 || 94 || 41 || 135 || 30 || 13 || 0.6 || 0.1 || 13.4 || 5.9 || 19.3 || 4.3 || 1.9
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 19 || 15 || 11 || 246 || 150 || 396 || 90 || 43 || 0.8 || 0.6 || 12.9 || 7.9 || 20.8 || 4.7 || 2.3
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 21 || 17 || 15 || 312 || 180 || 492 || 80 || 80 || 0.8 || 0.7 || 14.9 || 8.6 || 23.4 || 3.8 || 3.8
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 20 || 14 || 16 || 290 || 149 || 439 || 72 || 59 || 0.7 || 0.8 || 14.5 || 7.5 || 22.0 || 3.6 || 3.0
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 22 || 25 || 10 || 291 || 177 || 468 || 80 || 52 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 13.2 || 8.0 || 21.3 || 3.6 || 2.4
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 10 || 4 || 4 || 100 || 87 || 187 || 39 || 25 || 0.4 || 0.4 || 10.0 || 8.7 || 18.7 || 3.9 || 2.5
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 6 || 16 || 22 || 1 || 6 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 3.0 || 8.0 || 11.0 || 0.5 || 3.0
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 8 || 19 || 5 || 5 || 224 || 215 || 439 || 67 || 82 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 11.8 || 11.3 || 23.1 || 3.5 || 4.3
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 3/67 || 10 || 11 || 5 || 101 || 84 || 185 || 47 || 22 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 10.1 || 8.4 || 18.5 || 4.7 || 2.2
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 3 || 4 || 2 || 4 || 32 || 18 || 50 || 14 || 10 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 8.0 || 4.5 || 12.5 || 3.5 || 2.5
 * - style="background-color: #eaeaea"
 * style="text-align:center;"|
 * 3 || 1 || 3 || 0 || 6 || 5 || 11 || 4 || 2 || 3.0 || 0.0 || 6.0 || 5.0 || 11.0 || 4.0 || 2.0
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * }

Health scare
At the end of the 2011 season Wells had shoulder surgery during which it was discovered that he had a large blood clot on his lungs. The clot was successfully removed and Wells returned to full health and resumed playing.

Media profile and personal life
In 2009, Wells appeared alongside other AFL footballers in an AFL television advertisement titled "AFL: In a League of its Own", which featured prominent AFL players playing Australian rules football at famous sporting venues around the world, and in the middle of other sports being played, including basketball, Association football and American football. In the advertisement, Wells receives a handpass from Justin Koschitzke during an association football match, and after evading a number of defenders, kicks the ball to Lance Franklin.

He is a devout Roman Catholic.

On 14 October 2006 Wells married school teacher Mariangela Laudato. They have a daughter, Laudate Angelus.