ALIIR ALIIR will play his 150th AFL game in Saturday night’s clash with his former side Sydney.
Aliir’s athleticism and intercept ability was recognised when he won All-Australian honours for the first time in 2021 after his move from the Swans to Alberton.
Here are some numbers to help you impress your friends about the 29-year-old’s career so far:
44 – From Aspley in Queensland, Aliir made the move to East Fremantle before being drafted with pick 44 by Sydney in the 2013 National Draft. It was the same draft where current teammates Trent Dumont (pick 30 by North Melbourne), Darcy Byrne-Jones (pick 52 by Port Adelaide), Orazio Fantasia (pick 55 by Essendon) and Karl Amon (pick 68 by Port Adelaide) were selected.
192 – Aliir was the 192nd player to represent Port Adelaide at AFL level. His club debut came in a 52-point win over North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium in Round 1, 2021. He had 14 disposals and four marks that day. Aliir’s AFL debut came for Sydney in Round 6, 2016 against Brisbane at the Gabba. Sydney won with Aliir recording six disposals, three tackles and surprisingly no marks.
57.72 – Aliir’s winning percentage in his 149 games. That increases to 67.1 per-cent if you only take into account his 85 games for Port Adelaide.
36 – Aliir wore the number 36 guernsey in 64 games with Sydney before switching to his current number 21 after his move to Port Adelaide and playing a further 85 games so far.
5 – Aliir has kicked just five goals in his 149 games so far. His best return in a single season was three in his final year in Sydney in 2020, including two in a single game against the Gold Coast in Round 7. Aliir has just four behinds to his name. The point he scored in Round 20, 2021 against Greater Western Sydney, is the only score he has registered in his time at Alberton.
13 – Aliir has polled thirteen Brownlow Medal votes in his 149 games. He polled three in 2018 with the Swans and then had seven votes in 2021 while at Alberton, including two games where he received the maximum three votes (against Richmond in Round 4 and against Adelaide in Round 21). His remaining three votes were spread across two games in the 2023 season.
50 – Saturday night’s game will be Aliir’s 50th match at Adelaide Oval – more than he has played at any other venue by far. He has won 34 of his 49 matches at the Oval so far. The venue he has played at next most is the SCG (29 games for 14 wins).
12 – Geelong is the team Aliir has faced the most, having played the Cats 12 times for five wins and seven losses. The only other side he has played more than ten times is the Western Bulldogs (11 games for six wins).
0 – Aliir has never played in a losing game against Sydney or North Melbourne. He has recorded eight straight victories over the Kangaroos and three wins against his former side, the Swans.
14 – Aliir’s 149 games have come at 14 different venues. The only venues he has never tasted victory at are Stadium Australia in Sydney and Traeger Park in Alice Springs.
171 – Aliir recorded 171 one-percenters in the 2023 season. That is an average of 7.13 per match. His total ranks him third of all time for Port Adelaide in the AFL behind the 230 recorded by Dougal Howard in 20 games in 2018 (11.5 per match) and 172 by Tom Jonas (7.17) in 2021.
1 – Aliir will be the first player of South Sudanese heritage to reach 150 AFL games.
Aliir Aliir
DOB: 05/09/94
Games: 149
Goals: 5
Draft: #44, 2013 National Draft
Debut: Round 6, 2016 v Brisbane, Gabba
AFL Honours
- All-Australian (2021)
Club Honours
- Bruce Weber Memorial Award (2021)
- Third Best and Fairest (2021)
- Showdown Medal (Rd 21, 2021)
