From Junior Football to AFL Grand Finalists

The recent AFL Grand Final had a strong AFL Barwon flavor to it, with 8 of the 46 players having put on the jumper for one of our clubs.

Gryan Miers (Grovedale Football Netball Club), Jack Henry (St Mary’s Sporting Club), Jed Bews (Leopold Football Netball Club), Paddy McCartin (St Joseph’s Football Netball Club), Patrick Dangerfield (Anglesea Football Netball Club), Tom Atkins (St Joseph’s Football Netball Club), Tom McCartin (St Joseph’s Football Netball Club) and Tom Stewart (South Barwon Football Netball Club) all played junior football in the Barwon region, and have taken their different paths into the AFL.

The following bios gives a small snapshot of the players careers to date:

Gryan Miers (Grovedale Football Netball Club) 

Miers spent his junior years playing for Grovedale Football Netball Club in the GFL league, known for his agility and pressure. He represented the Geelong Falcons in the TAC cup in 2017, kicking a career high of 50 goals for the season. Miers led the way in the 2017 TAC Cup Grand Final where he kicked 7 goals and was awarded best on ground against the Sandringham Dragons.  

Drafted in 2017 to the Geelong Cats, Miers made his debut for the senior side in 2019, now having 83 games to his name. Miers who is known for his unique kicking style noted that it was actually a technique he adopted watching Buddy Franklin. Due to being 179cm tall Miers said he struggled to get power behind his kicks when he was younger, creating him to adopt a different style to get further distance.  

When Miers is not busy with training or game day commitments he comes and watches the local GFNL football, watching on previous teammates and friends. With fans making correlations between Miers and Luke Dahlhaus, Miers has become a fan favourite and found himself at home, being a perfect fit for the versatile Geelong forward line.  

Jack Henry (St Mary’s Sporting Club) 

The 24-year-old Jack Henry is a by-product of the St Mary’s Football and Netball Club who was drafted as 16th pick of the 2016 rookie draft. The key defender never said no to a challenge which is the position he found himself in in this year's 2022 AFL Premiership. 

Being given the task on one of the game’s greatest forwards ‘Buddy’ Franklin, is one that never comes with ease. It was in round 2 this year when Buddy kicked his 1000th goal on Henry, however it was the young cat who managed to hold Franklin to 5 touches, 1 point and only 2 marks. Henry has been a crucial part of the competitions best defensive side, cementing himself in the best 22 playing 17 games this year.  

Henry is one of many recent players graduating from the St Mary’s playing group who have established their AFL career, including brother Ollie Henry (Collingwood) and Brayden Ham (Essendon). St Mary’s has highlighted not only what a dominant force they are but also their ability to transform local sporting stars into AFL icons. 

Jed Bews (Leopold Football Netball Club) 

Jed Bews who was originally an 86th pick in the National Draft under the father son rule, made his debut in 2014 for Geelong. He grew up playing for Leopold Football Netball Club, whilst also being involved in pole vault at a national level. Bews who has now has cemented himself in the best 22 for Geelong adopting a win-at-all-costs attitude. 

The 28-year-old defender was always determined to make a name for himself through studying a Sport Education Development Australia course (SEDA) and worked alongside recruiters at Kardinia Park. Bews is a reliable defender, always putting his body on the line to hold back offensive opponents.  

Bews now has 151 games to his name alongside a premiership medal which the team missed out on in 2020 against Richmond. Bews was crucial in Geelong’s defensive line in this year's Grand Final keeping the Sydney Swans to just 4 goals at 3-quarter time.  

Paddy McCartin (St Joseph’s Football Netball Club) 

Paddy McCartin, who is a Geelong Grammar College graduate was always a talented adolescent, growing up playing for the St Joseph's Football Netball Club. When he wasn’t playing for St Joseph’s he was shadowing his father who was Colac’s senior coach, allowing for ample opportunity to grow into the strong defensive unit he is today. 

The former Geelong Falcon also played for the Vic Country U18 team before being selected as the number 1 draft pick in 2014. He was seen as the best key forward the draft had to offer in 2014 despite his niggling injuries he was experiencing.  

McCartin hasn’t been short on personal battles, being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in his early years and delisted by the Saints in 2019 due to ongoing concussion issues. The two years following he spent time working on his fitness and getting himself up to AFL fitness standards. McCartin is one of AFL’s great comeback stories as he was later picked up by the Swans after spending time as St Joseph’s during his time off. Although his journey wasn’t a traditional one, McCartin was able to squeeze his way back into the senior side, playing in this year's AFL Grand Final alongside brother Tom McCartin.  

Patrick Dangerfield (Anglesea Football Netball Club) 

Growing up in Moggs Creek, Patrick Dangerfield played for the Anglesea Football Netball Club which to this day holds a special place in his heart. Selected in the 2007 draft for the Adelaide Crows, Dangerfield could not train often alongside the Crows as he was completing his study at home, continuing to play for the Geelong Falcons. It wasn’t until 2012 when Dangerfield emerged as a star of the game, being known for his explosiveness out of stoppages and ability to win clearances. Between the years of 2012 – 2015 Danger continued his solid individual performance before being traded back home to the Geelong Football Club. Whilst Dangerfield noted he still has plenty left in the tank playing at the AFL level, he suggested he wouldn’t say no to playing at the Roo's once he eventually hangs his boots up for the Cats.  

Tom Atkins (St Joseph's Football Netball Club)

Tom Atkins grew up playing for the St Joseph's Football Netball Club and was an integral part of the team winning their first premiership since 1989.  

Atkins is an incredible story of persistence as he was overlooked for both the 2016 and 2017 National Drafts. Some of his personal accomplishments include being the 2016 VFL Geelong best and fairest, as well as being named in the VFL team of the year. Despite being overlooked, it was Simon Lloyd who encouraged Atkins to pursue his AFL career.  

He then went on to average a career high of 21.8 disposals and 9.4 tackles in the 2018 season to earn his stripes on the senior list towards the end of 2018. Making his debut for the Geelong Cats senior team in round 1 of the 2019 season, Atkins has played a number of roles for the team. Being switched between the midfield, a pressure forward and at times half back, he always accepted any challenge that arose. 

Tom McCartin (St Joseph’s Football Netball Club) 

Tom McCartin, younger brother of Pat McCartin is another St Joseph's Football Netball Club great who was drafted in 2017, now playing a key defensive role for the Sydney Swans. McCartin was just in year 11 as a 17-year-old when he was drafted as pick number 33. Known for his work rate, he was praised for his ability to hold down the key defensive role in the team as an 18-year-old.  

McCartin grew up as a forward, before making the switch to defence where he never thought he would be playing alongside his brother. Known for his contested marking, endurance and agility, McCartin is often able to overwork his opponents and gain possession at ground level. Currently aged 22, it is likely that there will be much more to add to the highlight reel over the coming years. 

Tom Stewart (South Barwon Football Netball Club)

Tom Stewart has paved his way in Geelong Cats history books recently collecting his first AFL premiership just weeks ago. The local football star grew up playing at South Barwon Football Netball Club where he was assisted by Geelong great Matthew Scarlett who reinspired Stewart to find a new drive for football. It was in the 2016 National Draft that he was selected as pick number 40 for the Geelong Cats, wearing the infamous number 44, previously donned by Corey Enright. He was fuelled with belief and hunger knowing that he was coming in to play a role for the team. 

After significant success at the local league, Stewart has gone on to win the AFLCA young player award in 2018, the Carji Greeves medal in 2021, and the All-Australian Team in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Although there was significant personal success throughout these years, the ultimate goal was always winning a premiership at AFL level. 

Coming into 2022 Stewart was elevated from the leadership group into the co-vice caption role alongside Patrick Dangerfield. Since joining Geelong, Stewart has always had a team-oriented mindset, helping out younger players coming through the ranks and leading the backline to the 2022 Premiership.