World Footy News

The following article in the Herald Sun features the decision by the St Kilda AFL club to select their USA recruit, Jason Holmes, in their NAB Challenge teams this pre-season. Holmes, who has served an apprentice ship with the Sandringham VFL club, hopes to be the first player born and bred in the USA to play a senior AFL game.

 

FORMER college basketballer Jason Holmes has taken another step closer to becoming the first American convert to play AFL football with his inclusion in St Kilda’s NAB Challenge squad.

 

Holmes, drafted by the Saints as an international rookie 14 months ago, is one of two ruckmen in the squad to play Brisbane on Saturday.

 

 

Sandringham coach Paul Hudson, who has worked extensively with Holmes in his role as the Saints’ development coach, said his selection “typifies how far he’s come over the past year’’.

 

“When he first got here his marking and timing was out and we needed to do a lot of work on his kicking — now by no means is it the finished product, it’s a work in progress, but he’s got to the stage where he can execute under a bit more pressure now,’’ Hudson said.

 

“The thing that does come naturally to him, with his basketball background, is the leap in the ruck and tap work.

 

“His other strength is that he’s like another midfielder at the centre bounces. He doesn’t spectate, he cracks in, lays a tackle, gets involved. Because his agility is so good, he keeps his feet when the ball hits the ground and it has the effect of releasing one of our mids to get out on the spread a bit quicker.’’

 

Holmes is in a race with North Melbourne’s Eric Wallace and to a lesser extent Collingwood’s Mason Cox to be the first American convert to play at AFL level (West Coast premiership player Don Pyke was born in the States but was the son of WAFL player Frank Pyke and was raised in Australia).

 

 

To read the full story at the herald Sun, click the following link: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/us-import-jason-holmes-picked-for-st-kildas-nab-challenge-match-against-brisbane/story-fni5f9q3-1227240553046

 

 

(Left: The imposing Jason Holmes - centre of group) Pictures courtesy of the Herald Sun