Retired #11: David Zaharakis - Survivin'

11 - [PLAYERCARD]David Zaharakis[/PLAYERCARD].jpg


Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2021
Last Game Played: Round 19, 2021 (omit)

Injury Status: n/a
 
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Merv

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31933_3845287789522_1654415244_n.jpg

Welcome to Essendon David Zaharakis

[YOUTUBE]XKtkyIR7SVI[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]JpfpT0Immso[/YOUTUBE]

Zaharakis adds to Essendon midfield

Saturday, 29 November 2008
David Zaharakis - Northern Knights' teammate of Essendon's first selection Michael Hurley - has also joined the Bombers after being selected at pick number 23 at today's NAB AFL Draft. A quick, agile midfielder with a penetrating kick, Zaharakis also earned All Australian selection this season.

"We think he can add to the midfield - we had him ranked at 13 so it was good to get him at 23," Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro said following the draft.
http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/news.asp?nid=6191
 
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Charliebrow 16

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Re: David Zaharakis

Looks good. I'll admit, I've only seen the youtube highlights and they could make anyone look like a star. I'll reserve further judgement until I've seen him perform on the field.

He looks pretty quick. :thumbsu:
 

Merv

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Re: David Zaharakis

  • IT WAS the ultimate test of David Zaharakis' poker face.
The Northern Knights midfielder had been unexpectedly summoned to Windy Hill a week before the national draft.
Zaharakis, an Essendon fan, had accepted the fact he would probably not be joining the Bombers in seven days' time.
Suddenly he was in a room with senior coach Matthew Knights and list manager Adrian Dodoro and struggling to contain his excitement.
"I hadn't spoken to them at all beforehand and they rang nd asked me to come down and I was like, 'Yeah, all right'," Zaharakis said yesterday.
"They actually introduced me to some of the staff as soon as I walked in the door before Adrian sat me down.
"Then Matty Knights walked in halfway through and sort of said, 'If you come here you'll love the club culture' and all that. It was pretty nerve-racking.
"I thought they must have been interested, to have taken the time to show me around the club a week before the draft. You sort of think maybe there's a chance you could be going there."

Zaharakis' wildest dreams were confirmed on draft day when the Bombers swooped on the Vic Metro co-captain with their second pick, No. 23 overall.
A quick and agile onballer with a penetrating kick, Zaharakis was joined in red and black by key-position defender Michael Hurley (No. 5), tall forward Michael Still (55) and high-marking forward Tyson Slattery (67).
The quartet has already forged a tight bond, with Hurley, Zaharakis and Still teammates at the Knights.
Asked about the events of draft day, Zaharakis chuckles.
"I was at home listening to the radio and then they called me straight after I got picked up and said, 'Come down to Telstra Dome', so we were in the car straight away," he said.
"Dad drove and we left all these people at our house. I was looking down at these text messages coming in and I looked up and we were at Telstra Dome in 25 minutes. It normally takes 40 minutes."
If there was excitement in the Zaharakis family, there was also relief. David was gutted last year after being overlooked in the 2007 national draft as a 17-year-old.
"I was more hoping than expecting to go last year and I was pretty shattered," he said.
"I guess this year I wanted to prove to people, not that they were wrong, but that I was ready for the AFL and that I had worked really hard in the off-season on my skills and endurance, which were probably the two main things, and it paid off."
Essendon's newest baby Bombers were put through their first day of training yesterday, starting at 8am at La Trobe University.
For Zaharakis, the level of professionalism is almost too good to be true.
"There's like two physios who come to training at Northern and then you come here and there's four physios here all day," he said.
"There's training staff, four, five or six coaches who take the drills and stuff. From that side of it it's a big change."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24758062-19742,00.html
 

bomba4eva

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Re: David Zaharakis

Didn't particularly want him but have warmed to the decision since after reading a fair bit about him and seeing what our recruiters had to say. Obviously the new draftees were going to be hyped up by the recruiters but nonetheless it was exciting to hear about their thoughts on Zaharakis and the high rating they had of him. Trengove went one pick before but I don't think we would have taken him as we'd already taken a KPB and the plan was to get a midfielder in our first two picks.
Zaharakis has a light body but may be able to play a few games next season especially with Knights mantra of a keen emphasis on training form. Let's hope he succeeds:thumbsu:
 

Enki

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Re: 11. David Zaharakis

Maybe it is because he has such well developed biceps for a kid his age and his height, but I thought he looked pretty filled out for a new recruit and was suprised to see him listed as weighing 72kg, 1kg LESS that Rhys Magin. :eek:
 

Huddo91

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Re: 11. David Zaharakis

Okay, going by the Youtube highlights... its pronounced Za-hara-kis.

:eek:

Looks like a good, strong player
 

GuzzLG

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Re: 11. David Zaharakis

Terrible news for David, as his girfriend Melanie Shuey (sister of recent West Coast draftee Luke) was recently killed in a motorcycle accident. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Shuey family.

Let's hope that being at the club which he loves so dearly can provide some solace to David during this tragic period in his life.
 

Hurley Bird

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Re: 11. David Zaharakis

#11 David Zaharakis

081208preseason08.jpg




Height: 182 cm

Weight: 76kg

Date of Birth: 21/2/90

Nickname: Zacka

Position: Midfield/Wing

Former Club: Northern Knights

Recruited From: 2008 National Draft, Selection 23

Career Games: 0

Career Goals: 0

More about Zaharakis:


Zaharakis is a quick and agile midfielder with a penetrating kick. He represented Vic Metro at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships and earned All-Australian selection. Originally from Marcellin College FC.


Essendon’s second pick in the national draft, David Zaharakis is a life-long Bombers fan and is regarded as quick and skilful. The 18-year-old should form part of the emerging new Essendon engine room for many years to come. Has leadership potential and is an exciting prospect.

Jason McCartney has said “David was draft age last year and was overlooked. He's in the leadership group at the Northern Knights and is just a super-quality kid and is an in-and-under type player with a great work ethic. You can really see why he was one of the leaders at the club.

”He sets a positive example by the way he plays and has firm values that he lives his life by. He got a kick in the guts last year in not being drafted, but he's hit back really well this year.”

 

Hurley Bird

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Re: 11. David Zaharakis

OK, a bit late, but here is a little write up on Zaharakis' first game with the Red and Black. I thought it might be a good idea to go through each of Dave's disposals, which was made easier by him only having 5.

Here it goes:

#1 Kick

His first possession I must say got me a little excited. He did a fantastic spoil on Anthony Corrie, then followed through to retrieve the ball and kick it to Skipworth. The kick was a little iffy, however it did get to its target, and could have ended in a goal, however Skipworth didn't quite get it done. This whole play did show Zaharakis' speed in quick thinking was are both very positive signs

#2 Handball

Another great gather, this time from the centre bounce. Zacka took Bryan's hitout and showed great strength and speed in avoiding a tackle from Beams. He showed his quick thinking by handballing to Lonergan how then kicked inside 50.

#3 Kick

Got a loose ball get infront of Collingwood's goal, after a ruck contest. Showed his speed again and skill with a perfect kick to Williams.

#4 Kick

Through a great read of play, received a handball from Daniher. Kicked a centring kick infront of goals. Unfortunately there was no one there, however the ball did end up with Stanton and almost ended in a goal from Lucas.

#5 Kick

Just before the game ended, received a handball from Jetta. With his best kick of the match delivered a pearler to Daniher on the 50 metre line. However Daniher missed the mark.

Overall I thought Zaharakis, although was relatively quite, showed signs of becoming a great player. The only real "mistake" was his wobbly first kick. However, it did find its target. He showed some great speed which will fit into Essendon well. Also a quick thinker with supurb kicking skills. All in all, with only half a game played, he proved he will be able to contribute to Essendon's success for many years to come.
 

Hurley Bird

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Re: 11. David Zaharakis

Just some little bits from the Herald Sun.

Three of Essendon's draft picks from last season - Michael Hurley, David Zaharakis and Tyson Slattery - are all in the mix for Round 1 selection.

WHO WILL PLAY IN 2009?

Essendon
Have earmarked Michael Hurley for a defensive role and David Zaharakis looks comfortable in midfield. Tyson Slattery is also a chance.
2008 DRAFT PICKS
5 Hurley
23 Zaharakis
55 Michael Still
67 Slattery
 

Hurley Bird

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Re: 11. David Zaharakis

They completely missed Skipworth, pretty good chance for Rd 1

I think they were talking about the National Draft, not the Pre-Season Draft. I would definately think Skipworth is looking good for Round 1.
 
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