From Woodsdale paddock to MCG: Banks to make AFL debut

The MCG is a far cry from the tiny Tassie suburb he played his junior footy, but that’s the reality for Sam Banks as he prepares for his AFL debut on Thursday.

Sam Banks will make his AFL debut for Richmond on Thursday. Picture Nikki Davis-Jones

HE grew up playing on a paddock at the tiny Tasmania suburb of Woodsdale, but Sam Banks will step it up a notch when he makes his AFL debut for Richmond at the MCG on Thursday night.

And one of his former coaches says he has the character traits and ability to make a fist of the elite level, rating him “one of the best kicks I’ve coached.”

The 20-year-old former Tasmania Devils captain, taken at pick 29 in the 2021 draft, will take on the Swans after strong form in the VFL.

The half-back or wing was the water boy for Woodsdale — where his father Laurie is a club legend after playing over 500 games there — and hails from Whitefoord, which boasts a population of just 60 people.

Banks played junior football with Sorell and then Clarence, before stepping up to the Kangaroos’ TSL side.

He will follow the footsteps of fellow Whitefoord product and Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend Royce Hart, who also played for Richmond.

Banks has been named as an emergency of a number of occasions, but was able to call his parents with the good news on Monday.

Former Clarence coach Jeromey Webberley, now head coach of the Tasmania Devils, said Banks’ character traits shown through as much as his silky skills.

“I thought he was really level headed for his age,” Webberley said.

“His maturity was the first thing, then his football talent with his skill level and running ability, that was his one wood.

“It’s a great success story, another country boy going through the ranks and achieving the ultimate.

“I don’t know what the population of Whitefoord, is but I’m pretty sure there’ll be a whole lot more there on Thursday night (at the MCG) than there is out there.

“He reads the game really well, has a good endurance engine and is a beautiful kick of the ball.

“He’s one of the better kicks I’ve coached and I’m sure he’ll be on the wing on Thursday night. They’ll be looking to get the ball to him and use his kicking ability, that’s for sure.”

Banks joins a healthy crop of Tasmanians on the Tigers’ list. Seth Campbell, Rhyan Mansell, Jack Riewoldt, Toby Nankervis are also currently at Punt Road, which is the biggest Tasmananian contingent of any AFL club.

Banks is contracted to Richmond until the end of 2025 and has played primarily as a wingman for the Tigers, where his two-way running has been a standout.

Sam Banks during the 2023 Richmond Official Team Photo Day at Punt Road Oval on February 17, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos)

He will make his debut after being named as an emergency for the AFL team several times.

Webberley said Banks’ decision to have surgery on a wrist injury in his draft year of 2021, which also ruled him out of Clarence’s TSL finals campaign, shows his maturity.

“He tried to play through his injury for a period but it was getting worse. I know that was a really tough decision for him to have the operation at the time to stop playing footy, because he was so passionate about playing for Clarence and that was his draft year as well.

“That was a really mature decision, he didn’t take it lightly but that’s a sign of the character he is.

“He didn’t play much footy at all that year, a couple of Devils games and a couple of Clarence games really, so he basically got drafted off his 17th year.”

Webberley said Banks’ rise is another example of talent shining through, no matter how small the community players grow up in.

“At the end of the day talent’s talent. It doesn’t really matter where you grow up or what you’re background is, if you put it on show you’ll get identified and the rest is history,” he said.

“That’s one of the great things about Australian Rules footy, you hear success stories not just in Tasmania but all over Australia about players who come from remote communities getting drafted.

“It’s something the AFL industry does extremely well, they watch a lot of games of footy and have reach basically everywhere.

“If you have the right talent and character, there’s always opportunity for you. What AFL clubs are looking for is that character piece, and Sam ticks a lot of boxes there.”