David Astbury
David Keith Astbury is a former Australian rules footballer who played in three premierships over a 12-year career with the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League. Astbury was drafted by Richmond with the 35th pick overall in the 2009 national draft and made his debut in round 4 of the 2010 season. After an injury-affected start to his career that included just 24 AFL matches in his first five seasons, Astbury settled into a fullback and centre-half back role by 2016 and was a regular member of the club's senior side. He was a member of Richmond's three premiership sides in 2017, 2019 and 2020, and retired following the 2021 season having played 155 senior matches.
Early life and junior football
Astbury was raised on a wheat and canola farm in the Western Victorian country town of Tatyoon. He played junior football with the Ararat Western Warriors in the Ararat & District Junior league and the Tatyoon Hawks in the Mininera and District Football League. Astbury played in two under-16s premierships during his time with Tatyoon.In 2007 he moved to Melbourne on a boarding program with Caulfield Grammar School.
The following year he played four matches with the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup while still a boarder in Melbourne.
Astbury moved back home in 2009, taking the role of co-captain at the Rebels and playing a total of 10 games with the team. His best performance that year game in a match against the Western Jets where he recorded 18 disposals, 12 marks and three goals while playing in the forward line. That year he also represented the Victorian Country region at the 2009 AFL Under 18 Championships where he held averages of 14 disposals and four marks per game.
Astbury earned an invite to the national draft combine in Canberra that year, where he recorded a top-10 score in the kicking test. He was noted pre-draft for his work rate and endurance as well as his ability to play both as a key forward and key defender.
AFL career
2010 season
Astbury was drafted to with the club's third selection and the 35th pick overall in the 2009 AFL national draft.Astbury played his first match against AFL opponents in a pre-season game against in Launceston in February 2010. He then spent the early part of the regular season playing at reserves level with Richmond's VFL affiliate. Astbury's AFL debut came in round 4, in a 55-point loss to. In that match he played as a forward, recording seven disposals, three tackles and an equal-team-high three goals. Astbury played three more matches at senior level but failed to kick a goal in any. He was omitted from the club's round 8 side before making a return the following week and kicking a goal in that round 9 loss to. By the later part of the season Astbury was playing primarily as a defender, having kicked just one more goal that year. After playing 13 consecutive matches Astbury had his season ended early, sent for hip surgery following round 21's loss to. He finished a promising first season with 17 matches played at AFL level.
2011 season
Despite migrating fully to the role of key defender that off-season, Astbury was in November 2010 assigned the number 12 guernsey worn by club goal-kicking legend and recently retired forward Matthew Richardson. He first wore it in pre-season matches in February 2011 before being selected to play at senior level in round 1's season-opening match against. Astbury played a further three matches at senior level before being omitted from Richmond's round 5 side to take on. He returned to senior level in round 12, but was involved in a collision with midfielder Ben McGlynn early in the game. Astbury sustained a dislocated patella in the incident and did not return to the match, having failed to lodge an entry in any of the popularly recorded statistical categories. The resulting surgery revealed extensive damage to the medial collateral ligament too. Efforts to repair the knee would keep him sidelined and unable to play another AFL match that season, having only featured in five to that point.2012 season
In the early parts of the 2012 season Astbury remained ruled out of action, with a second surgery forcing him to prolong rehabilitation on the knee injury sustained the year prior. After nearly a full year in recovery Astbury finally made his return to competitive football in mid-May. He did so with the development side of VFL team Coburg, a full two levels below the AFL. After further matches in the Coburg seniors, Astbury earned a re-call to AFL football as a key-position forward in a round 22 match against. He kicked a goal in that match and again the next week when he played in the club's final match of the season. Astbury finished the year at full health and having played two matches at AFL level that year.2013 season
Astbury begun the 2013 calendar in full-health and played in pre-season matches against the Indigenous All-Stars and Essendon in February and March respectively. Before the start of the season he sustained a foot injury however, and did not play in either of the first two weeks of the season. Astbury played limited minutes in the VFL the following week before missing another match with a knee complaint. As string of six straight matches at VFL level followed with Astbury impressing enough to be named as an AFL emergency in round 10. He earned his first match of the season at senior level a fortnight later, playing against at the MCG. Another senior match followed in round 13 but Astbury found himself substituted out of the game with a minor ankle injury He rehabilitated the injury at VFL level before earning another AFL match in round 19. In that match Astbury played a key shut down role on forward Jack Gunston and earned himself a further two matches at senior level. More injury misfortune would befall him in the weeks that followed however, with further minor leg injuries keeping him from playing another match at either VFL or AFL level. Astbury finished the season having played five senior matches.2014 season
For the first time in three years Astbury begun the 2014 season in the club's best-22 and by round 2 had already turned in a "standout" performance, having kept 's Jarrad Waite to just one goal while also recording 10 marks and five rebound-50s of his own. In round 4 he impressed again, this time keeping forward Travis Cloke goalless. Yet another starring performance came in round 6 where he kept 's Jarryd Roughead to one goal and was named by AFL Media as one of Richmond's best players that day. By the conclusion of round 8 it was clear Astbury was having the best season of his career to-date, a fact later confirmed when the club's best and fairest count revealed he was Richmond's second highest vote polling player to that point of the year. More injury troubles would await him however when in round 9 Astbury suffered another patella dislocation while attempting to tackle midfielder Jack Viney in the third quarter of that match. Though he reset the dislocation himself while still on the field, he would again need surgery to fully repair the damage. He did not play another match at AFL level that season, finishing with nine total. Astbury did however return for a single game in the final match of the season with Richmond's stand-alone reserves side in the VFL.2015 season
A full pre-season training program awaited Astbury in the lead-up to the 2015 season. Despite this, and though initially selected to play, Astbury withdrew from a pre-season match in February with knee soreness. He missed again in the following match of the series in March. Just days before he was due to line up in his club's round 1 side, Astbury was stung by a stingray while wading at a Port Melbourne beach. Surgery was required to remove the barb that caused minor damage to his left foot and ankle. He missed the first two weeks of the season as a result of the injury, before making a return to AFL football in round 3. Astbury remained in the senior side for a further three matches including in round 5, where he was moved into the Richmond forward-line in the match's third quarter and kicked his first goal since 2012. He was relegated to VFL football after a poor performance in round 6 however and faced a hamstring strain in the following weeks that would restrict his ability to push for senior selection. Astbury played a dual role as defender and forward, doing so well as to come under consideration for AFL selection as a forward in round 15. He was later named as an emergency in round 19 but could not earn final AFL selection again at any point that season. Astbury finished the year only having played four AFL matches, bringing his five-year total to just 24.At season's end Astbury became the subject of media speculation concerning a potential move to the. Media reports suggested he had been offered a four-year deal worth a reported $500,000 per season and the promise of greater playing time at AFL level. An initial offer that would have seen Richmond give up Astbury and their pick 31 in exchange for Brisbane's pick 17 was rejected by Brisbane according to a report by The Age. Talks progressed so far that Astbury was confirmed to have traveled to Brisbane to meet club officials and complete a medical exam. By the middle of October a deal was reported to be almost complete, but a late period decision by Astbury to remain at Richmond saw him still at the club by the close of the trade deadline.