(107th Eagles player)
A dependable mid-sized back in the Brett Jones mould, Nick Stone won a premiership with Claremont as a 24-year-old before being pick up by West Coast as a mature-age recruit in 1996.
West Coast career[]
Stone made his debut early in 1997 at Subiaco alongside another new recruit from Claremont, Michael Gardiner. Stone played 14 games for the year, pircking up 14 touches and 2 goals against Melbourne in his second match, and was a regular in the side from the half-way point. He played both finals, picking up 15 touches and laying 8 tackles in the semi-final loss to North Melbourne.
Stone was in and out of the side in 1998, splitting his time between West Coast and Claremont. He added another 14 games, and again featured in the finals where he netted 16 possessions and 7 marks against the Bulldogs.
A groin injury wrote Stone off for the first half of 1999. Due to the late start, he managed just one game during the regular season but was again recalled in time for the final against the Dogs. He spent the majority of the 2000 season at Claremont, managing just three senior games in the middle of the year, and was delisted at the end of the season.
Shortly before the end of the season Stone had failed a drug test. The AFL Tribunal accepted his explanation that he had been the victim of drink spiking, but still suspended him for 6 weeks.
Post-AFL career[]
Stone continued to play for Claremont until retiring at the end of the 2002 season.
Stats[]
| AFL | Gm | G | B | K | M | H | D | T | Cl | WAFL | Gm | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 84 | 40 | 63 | 147 | 38 | Clar | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1998 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 43 | 61 | 129 | 22 | 11 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Tot | 33 | 4 | 3 | 168 | 88 | 130 | 298 | 68 | 14 | ||||
| Avg | 0.1 | 5.1 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 9.0 | 2.1 | 0.7 |
References[]
http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/N/Nicholas_Stone.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Stone_(footballer_born_1972)