Sandringham Dragon Max Holmes a bolter for the AFL national draft
Injury held him back in 2019 and COVID-19 has kept him on the sidelines this year but Sandringham Dragon Max Holmes, a national hurdles champion, is shaping up as a roughie for the AFL national draft.
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If Max Holmes is a “bolter’’ for this year’s national draft, rarely has the term been more appropriate for an AFL hopeful.
Holmes is an elite athlete, no surprise given he is the son of two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lee Naylor.
In the past few years he’s bolted off with a long list of titles and competed for Australia at youth level.
At his last athletics meeting Holmes won the Under 18 national 400m hurdles. He was also third in the 400m.
He’s no slowcoach over the 100m either, with a time of 11.2sec to his credit.
Athletics watchers regard the Melbourne Grammar Year 12 student as a potential top-liner.
But for the moment Holmes is setting his sporting ambitions on AFL grounds rather than athletics tracks.
A 190cm wingman on the Sandringham Dragons’ books, he’s regarded as a good prospect, but with the NAB League and school football cancelled this year owing to COVID-19 he’s had no chance to parade his ability.
Last year it was injury that kept him out: he suffered a broken arm playing for Melbourne Grammar in Round 1 of the APS. He played only two school matches and one for Sandringham Dragons.
The Dragons haven’t seen much of him, but they rate him highly, with talent manager Mark Wheeler giving him some lift-off in an interview ahead of the 2020 season that never went ahead.
Holmes did get an APS season under his belt in 2018 and as a Year 10 student he finished sixth in Melbourne Grammar’s best and fairest.
“I guess it’s frustrating, but at the same time what can you do?’’ the 17-year-old said of the absence of football. “I’m not having a whinge about it because everyone is in the same boat.’’
Holmes started his junior football at East Malvern and crossed to Prahran. He represented the South Metro league with fellow Dragons prospects Jake Bowey and Darby Hipwell.
And in 2014 he made the School Sports Victoria 12 years and under football team (a St Kilda supporter, at the time he told his mum he’d wanted to play for a Vics team ever since seeing footage of Saints great Rob Harvey in the Big V).
That was his second SSV selection: in 2013 he had been picked in the track and field team, in the 100m and 4 X 100m.
In the years since he’s done both sports, football in winter and athletics in summer.
“But now I’ve decided to concentrate on football,’’ he was saying at his East Malvern home last Friday.
“I had my last race in December, and that’s it. I came to what I enjoy more, and footy is what I enjoy more.’’
His mother encouraged him to take the step forwards football.
“Max has always loved both, but it looks like he thrives and is himself playing footy,’’ she said. “I love the fact he did athletics, because it gave me the chance to hang out at the track and reminisce and feel like I was back in the day, but he’s achieved what he wanted to achieve in athletics — national championships, competing for Australia — and he’s proved he’s got some great speed and if he can parallel that on to a footy field …’’.
She added: “Track and field is a lonely sport, it’s an awesome sport, but with footy you can play with mates.’’
With no football and time on his hands, Holmes has focused on his fitness, trying to improved his endurance running and upper-body strength.
A few months ago he was at the Duncan Mackinnon Reserve athletics track when he had a chance meeting with St Kilda dasher Bradley Hill. They ended up training together with Naylor, a buzz for the young Saints supporter, and have stayed in contact.
Even with limited “exposure’’ to recruiters, Holmes has had “a few’’ interviews with AFL clubs.
“It’s always been a dream to play AFL, play on the ‘G, and I think it’s within my capabilities to get there, so I decided to push for it,’’ he said.
Let’s see how far the AFL draft bolter can run with his football.
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