World Footy News

St Kilda has followed up its successful 2013 Virgin Film Festival entry with an in-depth look at Jason Holmes’ unique path to AFL football.

The Saints’ entry into the 2014 Virgin Film Festival focusses on Holmes’ remarkable journey from Morehead State University to Linen House Centre, and details his rapid progression from a college basketballer to a ruckman on the cusp of an AFL debut just 18 months later.

Ambitious yet modest, the 24-year-old Holmes is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to play AFL football.

An athletic and highly competitive big man, Holmes was St Kilda’s international selection at the 2014 Rookie Draft with pick No.36.

He impressed at the Los Angeles AFL Combine with his competitiveness and natural kicking ball skills, while his vertical leap was just four centimetres short of Nic Naitanui’s record.

It was Naitanui’s spectacular mark that sparked Holmes’ interest in Australian rules football.

After being identified in the USA, he trained at the Sydney Swans academy under Paul Roos before being rewarded with a two-year rookie contract from the Saints.

This season Holmes has progressed steadily in the VFL for the Sandringham Zebras. His ruck work has been outstanding, while his efforts around the ground and tackling have added more features to his game.

Click HERE to view Holmes away from Home.

The Virgin Film Festival is the second instalment of the short film competition hosted by Virgin Australia. AFL clubs were invited to submit a short film entry on the theme ‘Everything’s possible’.

The winners are determined by social media interactions, with a scoring system based on views on YouTube, and likes, shares and comments on Facebook.

The club which video earns the most points wins 30 business class flights to the US.
St Kilda, Melbourne and Essendon were the inaugural winners of the Virgin Film Festival in 2013.