North Melbourne rookie Tom Jeffries stars for Donald McDonald’s Avondale Heights in the EDFL
AN AFL-listed ruckman has been given permission to play local football after struggling to earn opportunities for his club’s VFL side.
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AN AFL-listed ruckman has been given permission to play local football.
North Melbourne’s Tom Jeffries played his fourth match of the season for Avondale Heights in the Essendon District Football League and was its standout in an 84-point loss to Maribyrnong Park.
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The 202cm Jeffries is a rugby union and rowing convert and in his second season as a category B rookie at Arden Street.
The 19-year-old has made just one appearance for the Kangaroos’ VFL side this season, with the AFL granting a clearance to allow him to play for the Heights to gain valuable experience.
Jeffries played seven matches for North’s former VFL affiliate Werribee in 2017 before the AFL club decided to field its own team in the state league competition.
Avondale Heights is coached by former Kangaroos head of football and assistant coach Donald McDonald, who played 155 games over 11 seasons at the top level and is now working in the club’s commercial department.
“That’s one of the challenges facing AFL clubs when they draft these sorts of kids because they’ve really got a lot of development work to do,” McDonald said.
“The EDFL Premier league is probably a really good starting point for them, rather than the VFL reserves, which is pretty full on.
“His development is not at a level that’s up to playing VFL. He’s never touched a footy before he came into the AFL system and he’s never had a junior club.
“It’s good we can cater for guys like that. He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s coming up against some really good ruckmen in our comp.
“It’s been awesome for us too, because getting players is so difficult. We’ve been really battling to get players to fill our reserves and under-19s and even our seniors … we’ve been smashed by injuries.
“If he didn’t get a game with us, he wouldn’t be playing, so the bigger picture is a really positive one.”
Jeffries has earned a mention in Avondale Heights’ best twice this season as he looks to stake his claim for a more regular spot at the next level.
He has also helped fill the void left by former Collingwood, Brisbane Lions, Carlton ruckman Cameron Wood, who is out for the year because of a knee injury.
“He’s competing really well. It’s not like he’s taking a heap of marks or getting a heap of kicks, he’s just been really competitive,” McDonald said.
“Yesterday we got slaughtered around the stoppages, in the first half in particular and that’s where they (Maribyrnong Park) really dominated, but Tommy really improved as the game went on and I think in the last quarter we broke even around the stoppages.”
Avondale Heights sits eighth on the EDFL Premier Division ladder with a 2-1-8 record.
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