St Kilda’s international rookie Jason Holmes is showing promise in the VFL

ST KILDA’S international rookie Jason Holmes is showing steady improvement for Sandringham in the VFL.

VFL games on Saturday.

Twenty-seven hit-outs, eight possessions, two marks and six tackles.

That is a decent day’s work for a ruckman. Coming from Sandringham’s Jason Holmes against Collingwood, it was an exceptional performance.

The St Kilda international rookie and former US college basketballer is as green as the grass under his size 14 boots.

But he is making steadying progress in the VFL and his effort against a formidable opponent in veteran Magpie Ben Hudson last week earned him his third mention in the best-player list.

Holmes, 24 and 203cm, had looked up Hudson before the match, found he played a lot of AFL games and suspected he would be in for a rugged afternoon.

Hudson, a growling bear of a man, hit him hard — and gave his ears a chewing.

“Yeah, he likes to talk a bit,’’ Holmes said with a laugh. “It was fun, made it interesting. We had a good battle. He just reminded me I’m new to the game and told me I’ve got a lot to learn.’’

Holmes didn’t have to be told. But his willingness to learn has impressed everybody at St Kilda and Sandringham, with Zebras assistant coach Brendan Allen saying he’s sponge-like in the way he soaks up information.

Chicagoan Holmes’s foray into football started with an invitation to attend an AFL combine in Los Angeles last year.

A scouting agency used by AFL officials had identified him as having the athletic potential to try out for Australian football.

AFL? Holmes had seen a game on ESPN a few years earlier, his father explaining it as “a bit like rugby, but it’s not … if you kick it through the middle you get six points, if you kick it on the other side you get one point’’.

After watching more games on YouTube, he took himself off to LA last April, setting in motion a sequence of events that led him to Melbourne last October for the AFL draft combine, his listing with the Saints and his appearance as Sandringham’s ruckman this season.

His testing in Los Angeles done, Holmes returned to Chicago and had his first game with the local USAFL team, the Swans.

Then he was off to the Sydney Swans Academy last June and July, working under Paul Roos.

“I just fell in love with the sport,’’ he said.

Coming to Melbourne for the draft combine, Holmes produced a vertical leap of 97cm, after which St Kilda signed him to a two-year deal.

Since settling in to a house in Black Rock with Saints teammate Arryn Siposs, Holmes has dedicated himself to meshing skills and know-how to his obvious athletic ability.

“I love it,’’ he said. “People often ask me if I get homesick. I don’t. I feel wanted. I feel like I have a purpose here and I enjoy what I’m doing,’’ he said. “It’s a journey every day.’’

Former Sydney and Collingwood premiership ruckman Darren Jolly helped him initially, and teammate Tom Hickey has been a constant source of encouragement.

Holmes’s ability to get his hand to the ball first and direct it to a Zebra has impressed teammates and remains the feature of his game.

He compares springing off one leg for centre bounces and marks to performing a layup in basketball.

“The only difference now is that I’m looking to stick my knee in someone’s back!’’ he said.

But he wants to exert a greater influence around the ground. “Ruckmen can’t just be ruckmen. I’ve got to get a few more touches and help the boys out. I don’t want us to have 17 players and a ruck,’’ he said.

His left-foot kicking will win no awards for grace, but has improved considerably.

“It’s not natural at this stage,’’ St Kilda head of football Chris Pelchen noted.

“Most boys in Victoria are brought up with a footy in their hands. There is no substitute for that familiarity that you get by touching the ball regularly. It’s obviously a different shape and size to anything Jason has handled in the past, so therefore his kicking style is somewhat exaggerated. But the more he does it the better he gets. In the limited exposure we’ve had with him I think you’ll see improvement on a monthly basis, not just a yearly basis.’’

Allen said it was enjoyable to watch the progression of Holmes, whose older brother Andre plays with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.

“He’s one of the most coachables blokes you’d want to come across,’’ he said. “You tell him once and he does it straight away. The way he’s come on is a credit to his work ethic.’’

He said Holmes was giving himself “every chance’’ to make a success of his sporting switch.

Pelchen agreed, saying Holmes’s application to his training had been exemplary since his arrival at the club.

“You can see he comes from a semi-professional sporting background, having played basketball in the US,’’ he said.

“He certainly has a level of determination to reach AFL football.

“We’ve been extremely encouraged by his development in the space of six months. His ruck technique for a guy so new to the game is exceptional. If we can fast-track his understanding of the game to an equal level I think we’ve got ourselves a player.’’

ST KILDA HEAD OF FOOTBALL CHRIS PELCHEN ON JASON HOLMES

“I think we all appreciate that Jason has come from a very limited background of AFL football, having only really experienced it for the first time just over 12 months ago.

“It’s been quite a fast learning curve for him.

“Having said that, his athletic ability stands him in good stead, particularly from the perspective of centre bounces.

“It’s certainly showing through in his football at this point in time.

“The challenge now is for him to learn the intricacies of AFL football because it’s different to any other sport in the world.

“We’re doing as much accelerated development with him as we can in terms of game knowledge and our game plan.’’