[171][172] 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. Fremantle are reportedly open to trading Jesse Hogan following his two barren years at the AFL club. [17][28], After returning from injury, Houli regained his spot in Essendon's best 22 for the opening round of the 2009 season. This allowed him to record time to impress recruiters and be a viable selection in the AFL draft. [228], In September 2009, Houli married his partner and childhood friend Rouba Abou-Zeid. "[129] In 2012, Houli received the inaugural Award for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding, awarded by the Australia Day Council and the University of South Australia's Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding.[239][240]. [17] Houli missed round 12 due to a virus, but was not immediately recalled to AFL football following his recovery. [17] Houli was regularly named a non-playing AFL emergency over the following six weeks and earned media praise from Essendon officials for his VFL output, before being recalled for round 7 of the AFL season. Newton. [146][17] AFL Media named Houli among Richmond's best players in four of the next five matches, including in his 150th match for Richmond in round 7. Live Statistics. How the unstoppable Rahma Soliman started a fashion line in Australia, Muslim AFL star Bachar Houli welcomes youth work grant as government boosts anti-hate program, Haneen Zreika – the only Muslim woman in the AFLW, Arab Women Sports gets under way with fanfare in Sharjah. [67] Houli signed a new two-year contract extension with the club in late June, to which point he averaged 22 disposals per game over 12 consecutive matches that year. Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea! [201][202] He was able to rest the injury over an extraordinary 11-week break, after the AFL Commission that weekend suspended the season due to state border crossing restrictions enforced as a result of the rapid progression of the coronavirus pandemic into Australia. [155][156] Houli spent a further two weeks on the sidelines before making a return to football in limited game time in one VFL match in early-August. [17][103] For the third straight season, Houli and his Richmond side earned a spot in the finals but were contained to just one match, this time losing an elimination final to {North Melbourne in which Houli recorded 17 disposals. [166][167] 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. [79][80][81] At the end of the home and away season, Houli underwent scans to diagnose minor abductor pain he had been dealing with for most of the season. [17] Four weeks later he recorded a then-career-high 33 disposals in a loss to Sydney.