page_title: Bachar Houli
section_title: 2019 season
hierarchical_section_title: Bachar Houli / AFL career / Richmond (2011–present) / 2019 season
caption_attribution_description: English: Bachar Houli at the 2019 AFL Grand Final
context_page_description: Bachar Houli is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League. He is a two-time premiership player with Richmond and was named an All-Australian half-back during his 2019 premiership winning season. Houli is the first devout Muslim and third Muslim overall to play in the AFL. He previously played 26 matches over four seasons with Essendon after being drafted to the club from junior football with the Western Jets.
context_section_description: Houli found great form in the 2019 pre-season series before contributing 24 disposals as one of Richmond's best in the season-opening match against Carlton. He suffered a minor hamstring strain during that match and missed three weeks of football to rest the muscle, before returning in round 5's win over Sydney. Houli earned seven coaches votes as second best on ground with a match-high 32 disposals the following week, and a further four votes as third best on ground with 35 disposals in round 9. In the Dreamtime at the 'G match in round 10, Houli received the Yiooken Award as best on ground for a performance that included a career-high 37 disposals and 814 metres gained. To that point, Houli ranked fourth among all players in the league for effective disposals per game and sixth in average metres gained. Houli quickly revised his own career best mark the following week, adding 38 disposals in a loss to North Melbourne that helped him in maintaining a career-best average of 29.3 disposals per game at the mid-season bye. In round 19, he played his 200th AFL match, and recorded 31 disposals, his seventh tally above 30 touches in 15 games to that point in 2019. Houli continued his form through the final weeks of the season and received coaches votes in rounds 20, 22 and 23 for another three matches with 30 or more disposals. At the end of the home and away season, Houli was named in the All-Australian team for the first time in his career and recorded a career-best 11 Brownlow Medal votes. In the opening week of the finals, Houli contributed 15 disposals in his side's qualifying final victory of the Brisbane Lions. He was among his side's best in the preliminary final a fortnight later, notching 32 disposals and 11 marks to help Richmond to a comeback win over Geelong and a place in the grand final. Houli became a two-time premiership player the following week after Richmond defeated Greater Western Sydney by 89 points in the 2019 AFL Grand Final. Once again, Houli placed second behind Dustin Martin for best afield honours, after a fantastic performance that included 26 disposals and seven marks. Houli placed third in the Coaches' Association's Gary Ayres award for player of the finals and was named as the league's third best defender and 24th best player overall in the Herald Sun chief football reporter Mark Robinson's list of the league's best players in 2019. After a season in which he played 22 matches, became a two-time premiership player and earned an All-Australian honour, Houli also placed seventh in the club's best and fairest count.
caption: Houli celebrates a second premiership after the 2019 AFL Grand Final
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