A highly touted recruit in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft, James has delivered in spades during his first AFL Season with the Brisbane Lions FC. Coming from a strong SA football family pedigree, James had already completed what many state and local footballers strive for in their careers by playing in back-to-back premierships for the Norwood Football Club in the SANFL as a 16 and 17-year-old. These premierships were especially dear to James’ heart as his uncle Michael was a Norwood and SANFL legend.
A member of the AIS AFL Program in 2012 and 2013 James has always been highly respected amongst his peers and is a very professional young player who does everything possible to get the best out of himself.
James had a terrific debut season in 2014 with the Brisbane Lions, before a few impact injuries took their toll in 2015 leading to James missing a large part of the season. In addition to this there was a great deal of speculation surrounding James and his future at Brisbane for the entire season which he took in his stride.
At the end of the 2015 season, James made the tough decision to leave Brisbane and join the Collingwood Football Club. Whilst he would admit he had a slow start to the 2016 season season, James really found his groove amongst in his new team to finish off the season very strongly which included playing the last 10 games of the season where he was regularly amongst the Pies best players. Unfortunately, James was in and out the side in 2017, before embarking on a terrific pre-season in 2018 resulting in his best season for the Pies. A PCL injury ruled interrupted the middle part of his season, however James worked tirelessly in his rehab to return to the team in the last part of the season and play an important role in the Finals, including the Grand Final.
Coming off the back of a Grand Final defeat in 2018, the Pies and James came back hungry in 2019 starting the season in terrific fashion. Again, James experienced a serious shoulder injury during the middle of the season requiring surgery, however he again came back into the Finals team where they were unluckily beaten by GWS in the Preliminary Final.
Disappointed to fall short again in the Finals, James also faced a decision on is future at the club weighing up whether to stay for a further season or join Fremantle under new coach, Justin Longmuir, on a three-year contract. James deliberated over the decision, choosing to join the Dockers where he has been a crucial asset to a young team which played finals in 2022. Extending his contract with the Dockers for 2 seasons at the end of 2022, James had a consistent 2023 season. During Round 3 James collected 31 disposals and was among Fremantle’s best against West Coast. Despite a disappointing season for Fremantle, James is primed to help Fremantle have a bounce back year in 2024.
Off the field James has shown a keen interest in charity work and spreading the AFL code amongst the vast array of cultures which make up the Australian population. He is also currently studying Psychology which is a path he would like pursue post his AFL career.
Recruited From: 2013 NAB AFL Draft, Pick 7 from Norwood FC (SANFL)
Achievements:
· NAB Rising Star Nominee 2014
· AIS/AFL Academy 2012 & 13
· U/18 All Australian 2012 & 13