JACK GRIMES: IN THE MAKING

by The Oracle

When Jack Grimes makes his AFL debut at some stage this year or the next, the event will be something of a fairytale given that he will be playing for the club he has supported all of his life.

Grimes will run out onto the ground wearing the number 16 on the back of his jumper. A decade ago when he was just eight years old, that same number was awarded to Chelsea teenager Travis Johnstone, the first selection overall at the previous year's AFL National Draft. Johnstone has now gone to Brisbane and leaves behind him an eventful but unfulfilled career with the Melbourne Football Club. To many followers of the game, he appeared as a player who could never match his inherent brilliance and talent with the passion necessary to take the next step up to football stardom.

However, the betting is that the career of his replacement Grimes from Hurstbridge FC, who stands at 186.3 cm and weighs 81.6 kg, is also gifted with sublime skills and plays in the midfield, will follow a much different path. Not that there's anything wrong with a 10 year career at the sport's highest level but when you're among the elite, it's important that you at least fulfill if not exceed your potential.

Even at his tender young age, Grimes has been identified not only as long term footballer of quality but also as a future leader. In recent years he has captained the Victoria Metro Under 16's and Under 18's and the strong Northern Knights TAC Cup team which produced a number of first round draft choices in last November's AFL National Draft. Grimes himself was among them at number fourteen, Melbourne’s second selection overall.

He is also an AIS/AFL scholarship graduate which automatically places him in the elite of the country's young footballers and it was with that academy that he toured South Africa and was eventually awarded the Ben Mitchell Medal for his leadership and role-model potential. Ironically, he trained with the Demons whilst in the AIS programme.

Alan McConnell, the academy's high performance coach said this about Grimes, who earned All-Australian honours for his performances at the national under 18 championships in July:-

"Jack is an exceptional kick with both his right and left foot, he's a good reader of the play and he's got exceptional endurance as quantified by his testing.

"He's an excellent leader … he's played his best football for the Northern Knights in the finals; when the games were most in the balance was when Jack played his best football.

"There were a couple of matches last year where he turned the game with his ability to read the play and influenced the game with his use of the ball." [Grimes living out his backyard dream]

Grimes was one of the stars at the championships and relished his role as skipper of the Victorian Metro side. He was one of its few winners (along with fellow Demon draftee Addam Maric) in the opening game when the Vics were surprisingly well beaten by the young Sandgroper team. He and Maric were the only Victorian goal kickers (with two each) in the first half and despite the WA's dominance, Grimes led by example encouraging his teammates on to better things. In adversity, his leadership skills were a shining light to his team.

The same can be said of his leadership and example when the Metro boys easily won their two other games – against South Australia and Vic Country. In the latter game, Grimes also showed his versatility when moved forward by kicking three goals in five minutes of slashing football.

Soon after that game Grimes suffered an injury setback when he was diagnosed with stress fractures in his back. The injury is one that needs management but Grimes has already impressed training and should be back to full fitness during the practice match period even though there is no rush for a fully fledged AFL debut too soon. As Melbourne development coach Kelly O'Donnell tells melbournefc.au:

"Jack Grimes has had an interrupted pre-season with some physical things that he's had to work through from last year. He's probably had the most interrupted time out of the new guys but he's very diligent and switched on and understands what he needs to do."

It's an open secret that Melbourne’s recruiters rated Grimes highly and might even have been tempted to select him with their earlier choice had Larke Medallist Cale Morton not been available at pick four. Whilst that proposition can never be definitively tested, it's clear that apart from his natural skills and ability, excellent decision making and great fitness, his natural leadership qualities would not have missed the attention of Craig Cameron, the now departed (to Richmond) Demon recruiting manager.

That he may one day skipper the AFL club that he supported as a kid is a thought for well into the future but for now we can safely say that it's a fairytale that's definitely in the making …