Grassroots game: Where it all began for AFL Grand Final Cats and Swans
Find out how the stars of the AFL Grand Final reached the biggest stage as we look at the junior footy pathway of Geelong and Sydney players.
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On Saturday they’ll hit football’s greatest stage, the AFL Grand Final.
But years ago, Geelong and Sydney players were under-age hopefuls at junior clubs all around the country.
Once they dreamt of this opportunity and now have a chance to win a premiership.
Here are their journeys to the MCG on that one day in September.
GEELONG
Tom Atkins
One of the great stories of persistence. Overlooked in two AFL drafts, the St Joseph’s product toiled away in the Cats’ VFL outfit for several seasons, taking in the highs of a flag, a best-and-fairest, the captaincy and a team of the year gong before earning his call-up to the big-time in the 2019 rookie draft. Debuting at the age of 23, it had been some build for the midfielder/forward, who helped St Joseph’s to its first flag in almost three decades in 2015.
Jed Bews
The son of former Geelong captain Andrew, Jed was only ever going to wear the blue and white hoops. A precocious young athlete, Bews won a national junior title in the pole vault. He could have been the next Steve Hooker but footy was always the dream. He played three VFL games with Geelong in 2011 after two years with Geelong Falcons and was snapped up under the father-son rule. Hard graft followed with just 31 matches between 2014 and 2016 before cementing his place in the team in 2017.
Mark Blicavs
Talk about a talented family! The Blicavs are Australian basketball royalty with dad, Andris, mum, Karen and sister, Sara, all representing the Boomers or Opals. Mark has taken a different path. Famously started out as a promising young athlete, very nearly qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in the steeplechase before turning his attention to Aussie Rules. The local footy folklore tells it was Sunbury Lions and now Geelong teammates Cam and Zach Guthrie’s father, Andrew, that put Blicavs on the Cats’ radar and he was “worth a punt” as a rookie in 2012. That punt is now a two-time Carji Greeves Medallist, All-Australian and Victoria representative. Not a bad return.
Jeremy Cameron
It’s amazing where talent can hide. In the tiny town of Dartmoor, 400km west of Melbourne near the South Australian border, a young Jeremy Cameron had dreams of becoming the next Greg Norman or Adam Scott. At 14, he decided to give Aussie Rules a go and now, he’ll play his second AFL Grand Final after finishing equal eighth in the Brownlow Medal. After being plucked from country Victoria as a 17-year-old expansion draft selection by Greater Western Sydney, Cameron has gone on to become one of the competition’s best players, winning a Coleman Medal in 2019, Giants B&F in 2013, three All-Australian guernseys, AFLPA Best First Year Player in 2012 and AFLCA Best Young Player in 2013.
Jonathon Ceglar
It’s been some journey for the ruckman, who hails from Wodonga. Now at his third AFL club, the former Murray Bushranger found a spot on Collingwood’s books in 2010 before being delisted after no matches in two seasons. Had returned to train with the Wodonga Raiders at the end of 2012, before Hawthorn came calling with a lifeline via the rookie draft where he took in a VFL flag with Box Hill to go with 101 matches. Traded to the Cats at the end of 2021.
Brad Close
Started out at the North Gambier Tigers in the Western Border Football League and became the club’s second AFL player after Nick Daffy. He would play in four grand finals and two premierships as an 18-year-old before moving to Adelaide to join Glenelg in the SANFL. Another Tigers premiership would come in 2019 when Glenelg snapped a 30-year drought. He was coached by former Sydney assistant Mark Stone and current Swan and potential grand final rival Will Gould was a teammate. Geelong added the dangerous forward-midfielder with pick No.14 in the 2019 rookie draft and he has played 54 games in the three seasons since.
Patrick Dangerfield
He may have gone on to become one of the biggest and most decorated names in the game since his drafting in 2007, but the former Anglesea junior and Moggs Creek product certainly hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from, returning to lend a hand at the grassroots club in subsequent years. Snapped up by Adelaide at pick 10 from the Geelong Falcons, he played more than 150 matches at the Crows before returning to Victoria in 2016. Could the Brownlow medallist return to play where it all began once his 300-game career is finished?
Sam De Koning
Might have been a Bulldog if father Terry had have played more than 31 games for Footscray in the 1980s. Terry and Footscray’s loss is Geelong’s gain with the young key defender blossoming into a star intercept-marking full-back this season. A Mt Martha junior, De Koning made his senior debut for Mornington and looked the spitting image of his old man. “Sam’s played seniors for Mornington, whose players wear Footscray colours, and the first time he ran out I just had this funny feeling,” Terry told Carlton Media in 2018. “He had the headband, I had the headband and he looks more like me than Tom does, so for a moment I thought I was looking at myself.”
Mitch Duncan
Started out at Carine Junior Football Club, which has also produced West Coast premiership stars Guy McKenna and Darren Glass. Duncan wasted little time making the jump to senior football, making his WAFL debut at just 17 for East Perth. Despite a knee injury in his first match, he returned for the final six games of the 2009 season. Captained Western Australia at the Under-16 National Championship and was vice-captain at the Under-18 carnival, which the Sandgropers won and saw Duncan named All-Australian. As such it came as no surprise when Duncan was taken in the second round of the 2009 draft, 28th overall by Geelong. He made his debut in Round 1, 2010, and has been a key member of the team since.
Cameron Guthrie
The former Sunbury Lion was touted as a late developer by then Calder Cannons talent manager Ian Kyte during his NAB League stint: “Cam wasn’t a superstar at 15 or 16. As a 17-year-old he came on a lot; as an 18-year-old he stood out,” Kyte told Leader in 2016. And what a way to emerge, taken at pick 23 by the Cats in the 2010 draft where he’s since played well in excess of 200 games, taking in an All Australian in 2020 and a club best-and-fairest.
Zach Guthrie
Followed in the footsteps of older brother Cameron, making his way via Riddell District league outfit Sunbury Lions before breaking through for a place on the Calder Cannons’ list in 2016 after previously missing out. Emerged as a late developer, with the Cats snaring the defender at pick 33 in the 2017 rookie draft. The youngest of three brothers to have represented the Calder Cannons.
Jack Henry
The hometown boy has a chance to live the dream, winning a premiership with the club you’ve supported your whole life. Henry was in the stands for Geelong’s three flags in 2007, 2009 and 2011 and could play in the next. Came to footy late, making the full-time switch in his draft year of 2016, after an impressive junior career in athletics, which saw him finish on the podium in the decathlon in the 2015 junior national championships. Has put that athleticism to good use for the Cats, capable of playing across all three zones.
Max Holmes
Another of Geelong’s athletes. Holmes is the son of two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lee Naylor and a under-18 national champion himself in the 400m hurdles, also taking bronze in the 400m. Started out at East Malvern, before crossing to Prahran, and represented South Metro alongside Melbourne premiership player Jake Bowey. Despite the 2020 season being cancelled, Geelong saw enough in the raw talent to give up a future first-round pick on draft night him to snag him with pick No.20 in 2020. Has played 30 games in the two seasons since but will need to overcome a hamstring issue to step onto the MCG on Saturday.
Jake Kolodjashnij
Started out at Prospect as a 13-year-old, his family lived across the street, while also mixing soccer and basketball into his sporting mix. The talented junior won his first premiership in the under-13s, alongside twin brother Kade, in the Northern Tasmanian Junior Football Association and backed it up in the under-14s. Featured for TSL club Launceston in the under-16s and was chosen to represent Tasmania at under-16 and 18 level before being drafted by Geelong with pick No.41 in 2013. Just the second Prospect junior to reach the AFL stage, following Kade, and now could bring home a premiership to the Hawks.
Sam Menegola
The Western Australian comes from the East Fremantle district, where he played juniors with Attadale. Went on to play with East Fremantle in the WA state league, earning him a rookie spot with Hawthorn in 2011, later hanging his hat at Freo (2012-14). Broke through for his third shot in 2015, drafted by Geelong, where he’s since played more than 100 games.
Gryan Miers
The cult hero comes from the Geelong region, playing juniors with St Mary’s and Grovedale before standing out for the Geelong Falcons in the NAB League, named best afield in the 2017 premiership. He kicked more than 50 majors that season, including seven in the grand final, realising the AFL dream soon after with his pick 57 selection at the national draft that year. The small forward debuted in 2019 and has played in excess of 80 matches.
Mark O’Connor
Caught the eye of Australian scouts on the Gaelic football scene in Ireland, toiling away in the Kerry County Board division of the Gaelic Athletic Association, where he won two underage championship medals. The midfielder captained his side before trialling at a host of AFL clubs, landing at the Cats as a category B rookie in 2017. It’s been some move from the small County Kerry town of Dingle, which has a population of around 2000 people.
Brandan Parfitt
The Darwin product spent his junior years with NTFL outfit Nightcliff, impressing to find a place on NT Thunder’s list before making the move to the big-time with his No. 26 selection in the 2016 national draft. The midfielder has since played a wealth of finals and more than 100 matches at the Cats, taking in a rising star nomination in ’17.
Gary Rohan
The country Victoria product dazzled for Cobden in the Hampden league as a teenager (also playing junior football at the club), debuting at 16 years of age in the opening round of 2008. They say they’re bred tough in the country. And Rohan’s foray into senior football was certainly a baptism of fire, which included standing one of the greatest full forwards the league has seen – Warrnambool’s Jason Rowan – as a skinny teenager. Rohan played the full season in the seniors that year, earning a call-up with the Geelong Falcons the next. Drafted in 2009 to the Sydney Swans where he played more than 100 games before crossing to Geelong in 2019.
Joel Selwood
One of the greatest to pull on the blue and white hoops hails from the Bendigo region where he first turned out for St Therese’s Maroon as a nine-year-old, winning several flags before later playing with Kennington-Sandhurst. It’s from there he found a spot at the Bendigo Pioneers in the under-18 comp, overcoming a knee injury in his top-age year before landing at Geelong. The rest, they say, is history.
Isaac Smith
The flying winger’s journey to the AFL is a long one, starting in the country NSW town of Cootamundra. Smith played alongside future Hawthorn premiership teammate Luke Breust at Temora and then another flag teammate Matthew Suckling when he joined East Wagga-Kooringal and Wagga Tigers. Moved to Ballarat for university where he joined Redan, which saw him step up to North Ballarat in the VFL and win a premiership and an Australian Country Football Championship title with the VCFL in 2010. Drafted by Hawthorn with the 19th overall pick in 2010, he played in three premierships with the Hawks before moving to Geelong at the end of 2020 as a free agent.
Rhys Stanley
The South Australian grew up in the town of Berri, more than 230km north-east of Adelaide, where he began to make an impact at the Berri Demons in 2007. As a teenager he took on the rucking duties, impressing to finish top five in the club’s best and fairest that season. State league club West Adelaide came calling the next year, paving the way for the big man’s path into the top-flight, taken by St Kilda in the 2008 national draft. Has been with Geelong since 2015.
Tyson Stengle
What a comeback. The forward was delisted by Adelaide last year as a result of an off-field incidents and returned to his original SANFL club, Woodville-West Torrens. Stengle played a key role in the Eagles’ second straight premiership in 2021, kicking three goals in the grand final and 44 in 19 matches, while averaging 14 touches. Started out with Portland in Adelaide’s northern suburbs before turning out for Port Adelaide Magpies’ development squad and Woodville-West Torrens. Drafted by Richmond in the 2017 rookie draft, he was traded to Adelaide in 2020 for a fourth-round pick and joined Geelong as a delisted free agent this season. He took the opportunity with both hands, kicking 46 goals, and earning All-Australian honours in one of the great stories of the year.
Tom Stewart
The poster boy for mature-age recruit, Stewart’s path to the AFL is a tale of persistence. After graduating from the Geelong Falcons and missing out at draft time, Stewart signed up for South Barwon in the Geelong Football League. Coached by Cats premiership great Matthew Scarlett, Stewart was part of South Barwon’s back-to-back flags in 2012 and 2013 before finally getting noticed playing for Geelong’s VFL team in 2016. Geelong pounced with pick No.40 and Stewart has turned into one of the all-time draft bargains, earning four All-Australian guernsey’s and taking home the Carji Greeves Medal as Geelong’s best-and-fairest in 2021.
Zach Tuohy
Born in the town of Portlaoise, 94km from Dublin, Tuohy soon became a junior Gaelic football star, winning the Under-18 the Leinster Minor Football Championship with Laois County in 2007. He became the second player from that championship side to be travel to Australia, following Conor Meredith. Tuohy trialled with Carlton in 2009 and was subsequently drafted as an international rookie with the Blues’ six-round pick (73rd overall) in the 2010 rookie draft. He would go on to play 120 games for the Blues before being traded to Geelong for Billie Smedts, a future first-round pick and pick No.63. Became just the second Irishman to play 200 VFL/AFL games in 2020, joining Jim Stynes.
SYDNEY
Joel Amartey
Amartey is one of several Beaumaris Sharks junior graduates on Sydney’s list, along with Ollie Florent, Hayden McLean and Callum Sinclair. The 23-year-old was rookie-listed by the Swans in late 2017 after coming through the Sandringham Dragons.
Nick Blakey
At 12, Blakey was a gun 800m runner who finished second in the nationals. But footy was always going to be his go and he played juniors with East Sydney Bulldogs, earning a reputation as a freakish talent and a consistent goal kicker. Now Blakey has the chance to join his dad, John Blakey, as an AFL premiership player; John played in two flags with North Melbourne in a 359-game career.
Braeden Campbell
Kick-to-kick sessions as an 11-year-old at the local park with his dad Wade were crucial as Sydney-sider Campbell, initially a soccer player, fell in love with Aussie Rules. He played juniors for Westbrook and then Pennant Hills Demons, and was drafted with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft.
Ryan Clarke
Clarke is a product of Rowville and will be hoping to go one better than his old club on grand final day. Captained Melbourne Grammar’s first XVIII and came through the Eastern Ranges NAB League pathway. He was drafted by North Melbourne in 2015 and had three seasons with the Kangaroos before joining the Swans, where he’s salvaged his AFL career and could become a premiership player.
Oliver Florent
Tennis was a big part of Florent’s upbringing in Melbourne; his dad Andrew played on the international circuit. Florent started junior footy in the under 9s at Cheltenham before moving to Beaumaris in under 15s to play with his Mentone Grammar school mates. As a teenager he was rocked by the news his dad Andrew was told he only had three to six months to live with stage four bowel cancer. But he showed his incredible fight, and lived for another four years. Florent has inherited that same resilience and applies it to his football career.
Robbie Fox
As a junior, Fox was spending most of his time concentrating on basketball although he continued his footy on Saturday’s with the Burnie Dockers in Tasmania. He was a talented basketballer, making the Tasmanian under-16 and under-20 teams. After a few years, he decided to give football a go and moved to Victoria where he played for VFL club Coburg. In 2017, he was picked up in the rookie draft at pick 34.
Lance Franklin
The ‘greatest showman’ grew up in a small town 156km north-east of Perth called Dowerin and moved to Wesley College, Perth at the age of 15 where he boarded after receiving a sports scholarship. Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin played junior football at Dowerin Football Club before joining Perth Football Club where he made his senior debut in 2004 and kicked a goal. Buddy also represented Western Australia at the 2004 AFL Under 18 Championships. A former junior coach of Buddy, Greg Miller, recalled him as a sports-mad and energetic kid with an extremely competitive nature.
Errol Gulden
Gulden grew up beside the beach at Maroubra in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, and played his junior footy with the Maroubra Saints. There he was coached by his mum Bronwyn, whom he credits for playing “a massive role’’ in his journey to the AFL.
Will Hayward
Hayward was drafted out of SANFL side North Adelaide in South Australia. He grew up playing for Adelaide’s St Peter’s College, Walkerville and North Adelaide in a busy weekly schedule. In 2018, he bagged his 50th goal for the Swans and became only the 11th player to reach the milestone as a teenager.
Isaac Heeney
Heeney grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Newcastle, NSW. A sporty kid with loads of talent, he once scored 68 goals in 12 games of soccer. Heeney’s start in Aussie Rules came at the Cardiff Hawks juniors. He loved it — he was a standout — and before long he was snapped up by the Sydney Swans Academy. His mum Rochelle, a dairy farmer, started working half days on Thursdays to drive Heeney to Sydney for the academy training sessions.
Tom Hickey
Like his father Mick, Tom played rugby from ages six to 14 in Brisbane. When Hickey moved to Iona College for high school, he played several different sports including volleyball where he represented the Queensland state team and the schoolboys team throughout his schooling life. Hickey played Australia Football for the first time during his last term of high school in 2008 when he joined friends at Iona to compete at the Associated Independent Colleges competition. He joined Morningside‘s under-18 side in 2009 where he came second in the league best and fairest and won a premiership. In 2010, he was selected to represent Queensland in the 2010 AFL Under 18 Championships as the state ruckman. Later that year, he was picked up by Gold Coast, which turned out to be the first of four AFL clubs he would play for.
Jake Lloyd
A star junior who won four straight premierships with the Horsham Demons senior side with his first coming as a 16-year-old. Lloyd grew up in Horsham and represented Victoria at under-16 and 18 level. He was drafted to the Swans as a rookie after impressing for North Ballarat in the TAC Cup.
Paddy McCartin
Paddy McCartin’s love of footy began in the early days when he would follow his father Matt around in full playing kit as he would coach the Colac footy team. When Paddy’s younger brothers, Charlie and Tom, got older the backyard action got underway where they would play multiple sports on a frequent basis. McCartin played junior footy at St Joseph’s and joined Geelong Grammar in Year 10 on a football scholarship. He also played matches for Geelong Falcons in the NAB League and represented Victoria Country at under-18 level before being taken at pick number one in the 2014 national draft by St Kilda.
Tom McCartin
The youngest of the McCartins played for the Geelong Falcons before being taken at pick 33 in the 2017 national draft. Tom attended high school at St Joseph’s College in Geelong and represented Victoria Country in the Under-18 National Championships. He played his junior footy at St Joseph’s College.
Logan McDonald
Hailing from Western Australia, McDonald took up football at the start of high school, starting out with Applecross Mount Pleasant Junior Football Club. He played a total of three years with the club, winning a premiership and participating in two grand finals, as well as taking home two best-and-fairest awards. Initially, he was more of a midfielder but has developed into a key forward. McDonald has a twin brother, Riley, who “hates sport”.
Justin McInerney
Starting out in the Auskick program at Macleod in Melbourne, McInerney played junior footy with Banyule, where he was spotted by a talent scout who believed he had some AFL-like attributes. The scout was right. McInerney blossomed at NAB League club the Northern Knights. And he made his AFL debut against Melbourne at the SCG in Round 4, 2019.
Callum Mills
Mills grew up in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and began his sporting journey in Auskick before making a move to rugby union at seven to play with his school friends. At 13, after winning multiple rugby championships with Warringah, Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham approached Mills to fill in for the Mosman Swans. Mills impressed in the game and later that year in 2010, he joined the Sydney Swans talent academy. Mills revealed his selection in the Swans academy had a major influence on his decision to pursue AFL over rugby. After playing several seasons of juniors at Mosman, Mills played matches for North Shore in AFL Sydney Premier Division.
Luke Parker
The writing was on the wall early that this kid from Langwarrin was something special. Parker won eight consecutive club best-and-fairest awards at Langy, from under-9s through to under-16s. Week after week, he lit up Lloyd Park. His father Wayne had to build a new cabinet in their house to accommodate all his trophies. It was the forerunner to state and NAB League honours with Dandenong Stingrays, and eventually Sydney took him at No.40 in 2010.
Tom Papley
He’s a Bunyip boy! And proud of it. Papley grew up in the little town in Gippsland and started playing footy in the under-13s at the age of nine. He was also a promising cricketer — an aggressive left-hander in the mould of Dave Warner — and even toured Barbados with the Wanderers club when he was 16. But footy soon took over and at 16 Papley played in a Bunyip senior premiership, even slotting the first goal of the last quarter as Bunyip stormed home to beat local rivals Garfield in front 10,000. He’s always loved the big stage.
Dane Rampe
Growing up in Clovelly in Sydney, Rampe would walk to and from Sydney games and dreamt of becoming a Swans player. He was a nine-year-old boy at the SCG when Tony Lockett kicked his 1300th goal to become the greatest goalkicker in the game’s history, and was one of the hundreds who flooded the field when it occurred. Growing up, basketball and soccer were Rampe’s passion. It was only at age 17 he first played Australian Rules and AFL NSW/ACT scouts took notice of the raw talent.
Sam Reid
Sam grew up with his older brother Ben, a former Collingwood footballer, in Bright, north-east of Victoria. Sam attended Galen Catholic College for his final years of high school to train with the Murray Bushrangers.
James Rowbottom
A Victorian who played his juniors at the Camberwell Sharks before heading to St Kevin’s to play his footy, as well as with Oakleigh Chargers. Rowbottom is the nephew of Channel 7 AFL commentator Brian Taylor and the brother of AFLW star Charlie Rowbottom, who was number one draft pick in the 2021 AFL Women‘s draft, picked up by Gold Coast.
Dylan Stephens
The South Australian played juniors at Red Cliffs before heading to St Peter’s College on a football scholarship. In his 2019 draft year, Stephens joined SANFL premiers Norwood where he played 13 games and impressed, helping him get drafted to Sydney at pick No.5 that year.
Chad Warner
A Western Australian who played his underage footy with the Willetton Junior Football Club. Prior to being drafted to Sydney at pick No.39 in 2019, Warner joined East Fremantle in the WAFL Colts in 2019 and played nine games and kicked eight goals which impressed recruiters.
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