Chance Bateman

Chance Bateman (born 21 June 1981) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Bateman was Hawthorn's first indigenous player to reach 100 games, first Aboriginal life member, and the club's longest-serving WA recruit. He was a development coach at the West Coast Eagles until the end of the 2020 season.

Early career Bateman learnt his football during his formative years in York and then with Perth in Westar Rules. He was an under 18 all Australian and in the squad for the Westar state side in 1999.

AFL career

Drafted by Hawthorn at pick 48 in the 1999 AFL draft, the Hawks considered themselves lucky as they thought he would have been picked up earlier. His light frame made him a longer term prospect as he would require to develop more physically. His early career was interrupted by a variety of injuries. Each time he bounced back and became a key member of the team.

Bateman said the true sense of worth for Aboriginal players was founded on their family's value and strength and that fact provided him with his toughest times when he lost his sister Candace in a tragic train accident in 2001 he was desperate to return home to be with his parents and was shattered when he could not work a trade with West Coast or .

I'd stay at Hawthorn for as long as they'd have me, they've been fantastic for me. You don't really think too much about the milestones as they're coming up, but as you pass them you sort of look back with a bit of pride. I'm our first indigenous life member and to have had a small part in the club's history is pretty special.

Along with captain Sam Mitchell, Bateman was the only Hawthorn player to play in all games in 2009. He missed the first game of 2010 because of a one-game suspension for striking Matthew Lloyd of in the last game of the 2009 season. Bateman was put on Hawthorn's veterans list in 2011.

Statistics

177 !! 67 !! 59 !! 1884 !! 1132 !! 3016 !! 773 !! 319 !! 0.4 !! 0.3 !! 10.6 !! 6.4 !! 17.0 !! 4.4 !! 1.8 !! 30

Honours and achievements Team AFL premiership player : 2008 Minor premiership : 2012 VFL premiership player : 2001

Individual Australia international rules football team: 2006 Indigenous All-Stars team: 2003 life member