DOB: 12 January 1984
Debut: Round 1, 2002 against Hawthorn at MCG
Last MFC Game: Round 22, 2005 against Essendon at MCG
From: Kalamunda/Perth, Selection #25, 2001 National Draft
Number: 2 (2002-2005)
Honours:
Best First Year Player - 2002
Rising Star nomination - Round 3, 2002 vs Richmond
Sandringham Zebras premiership player - 2000
Games: 43 (79 total)
Goals: 21 (48 total)
Career Statistics
Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % |
22 | 0 | 21 | 51.16 |
When he was drafted by Melbourne, Armstrong already had two years of WAFL senior football under his belt. He was an AFL/AIS Academy member in 2001, and while representing Western Australia in the national Under 18 carnival that year he was joint winner of the Larke Medal for Best and Fairest. He had good bloodlines, his grandfather was a premiership player and coach at Perth, and his father had also played for and coached the side.
His first season of AFL football was impressive, scoring a Rising Star nomination in his third game and playing 13 games. On his first end of season trip with the Demons he was injured in the Bali bombing, and carries a scar on his leg as a reminder. Beginning in 2003 he found his opportunities more and more limited, and only played 12 games across 2004 and 2005 before being delisted. In his last year at the club he played in the 2005 Sandringham VFL premiership side.
The West Coast Eagles threw Armstrong a lifeline and drafted him as a rookie in 2006. He made his debut with them midway through that year and managed to cement a spot in the side just before the 2006 Grand Final - he kicked a vital goal in the last quarter of the game to help the Eagles to the premiership and join the ranks of players who have won a premiership after leaving the Demons.
He was delisted after the Eagles' disappointing 2008 season and returned to the WAFL to play with Perth, remaining there until the end of 2011 when he retired to take up coaching. In 2009 his premiership medallion was stolen from his parents home in Perth. In 2016 he played for Kalamunda. In 2017 he was an assistant coach at Swan Districts, then Claremont in 2018.
Year | Games | Goals | Brownlow |
2002 | 13 | 7 | 0 |
2003 | 18 | 8 | 0 |
2004 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
2005 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Lists
Premiership players at other clubs
West Coast
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