St Kilda ruckman Jason Holmes will make history on Saturday night by becoming the first born and raised American to play AFL when he debuts against Geelong at Etihad Stadium.
The former college basketballer, who stands at 203cm (6'8"), converted to Australian football just two and a half years ago and was signed as an international rookie for St Kilda at the end of 2013.
Originally from Chicago, the 25-year-old said he was overjoyed to play his first ever AFL game.
“I’m so excited, it’s been one of my main goals since I came out here and it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” he said.
“I’ve come so far and I’m so grateful for all of the support I’ve received since I began my AFL journey. It’s such an amazing sport and I’m so proud to be a cog in the machine that helps this sport grow across the world.”
The only other American-born player AFL player was Sanford Wheeler, who moved to Australia when he was five years old and played for Sydney Swans from 1989 – 1994.
Known for his athleticism, Holmes was first picked up by the Saints after registering a vertical leap of 97 centimetres at the 2013 Draft Combine – four centimetres short of Nic Naitanui’s record.
The Saints selected him with pick 36 at the 2014 Rookie Draft and fast-tracked his development through the club’s VFL affiliate Sandringham.
He recently committed to a one-year contract extension after establishing himself as the number one ruckman in the reserves and has been working on his offensive craft as a forward.
“Jason’s development and growth has been very impressive in the two years he has been at the club, and his attitude and commitment to succeed at the elite level has been outstanding,” senior coach Alan Richardson said.
“His performance in the VFL with his ruck work means he gets an opportunity this weekend.”
Holmes played two NAB Challenge games for St Kilda earlier this year, impressing with a brilliant running goal against Essendon.
He will be elevated to St Kilda’s senior list today after Jack Billings was ruled out for the remainder of the season with injury and placed on the long-term injury list.
Holmes comes from an elite sporting family with his father having played professional basketball in Europe, his older brother Andre playing for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL, and his younger brother Mark playing basketball in Europe.
His chance has come through injury to another player and St. Kilda can't make the finals so they'd be experimenting a bit but apparently his form in the second tier league has been very solid and they don't pick numpties at the highest level. This is serious business and the new TV rights sold for 2.5 billion dollars the other day.
It's a very difficult game to pick up but he has the advantage of being a ruckman, which is a bit like a centre in basketball. You still have to be able to kick, handball and mark (catch) but your main job is to try to tap the ball to smaller, fast players. His height and athleticism make him suited to this role. I used to play with a guy who had been a very good rugby player and who started playing Aussie Rules as a ruckman when he moved to Tasmania for university. He was an amazing athlete who ended up winning the best player in our league but he never quite looked natural. Holmes looks good for someone who's only been playing for a couple of years.
Jason Holmes played quite well and word is that he's improving very quickly. Apparently he was a very good college basketballer but suffered some bad injuries that ended any NBA dreams. He obviously has incredible natural sporting ability because he's picked up the game very quickly. He also has an excellent work ethic and seems to have his head screwed on right. It seems he sees Australian Football as a unique opportunity to have a professional career and is going for it with everything he has. There are a few more Americans who are on team lists and growing interest from great athletes in the US who haven't quite made it to the NBA or NFL.
There's a lot of interest in him here and goodwill for the guy. People want to see him do well and hope it may grow the game internationally. From what I've seen, I think he has tremendous potential. There's a growing number of international players now, including Mike Pyke, who's also a ruckman and a former Canadian rugby player. Most of them are from Ireland, where they play Gaelic Football, which has some similarities, but the pool is widening.
Cheers, Neilster
