Aaron Francis (born 10 August 1997) is a professional
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er playing for the
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...
in the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL), after initially being drafted by the
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...
with their second selection and sixth overall in the
2015 national draft. In October 2022, he was traded to the Sydney Swans.
Early life
Francis was considered to be the best utility in his draft group, showing talent for
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, dominating games from both ends of the ground. He was named at
centre half-forward
In Australian rules football, the centre half-forward is a position on the half-forward line of a football field. The directly opposing player is a centre half-back. Royce Hart of the Richmond Football Club and Wayne Carey of the North Melbour ...
in the All-Australian team during the
2015 AFL Under 18 Championships
The 2015 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships was the 20th edition of the AFL Under 18 Championships. Eight teams competed in the championships: Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia in division one, and New South Wales/Australi ...
, often compared to AFL players
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge (born 15 June 1984) is a former Australian rules football player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 2002 to 2017, c ...
and
Brendon Goddard
Brendon Goddard (born 20 May 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and Essendon in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the St Kilda Football Club from 2003 to 2012, then with Essendo ...
in his junior year.
Playing career
Francis made his debut in the thirty-seven point loss against the in round 18, 2016 at
Etihad Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...
. Francis is the third of four boys, his older brother Hayden, who was a Brisbane supporter, died from cancer in 2014. After the match he said "It was a big day for the family, the way everything came together and they were very proud of me.’’
Due to personal struggles, coupled with failing to find opportunity in Essendon's best 22, during the 2017 AFL Trade Period, the difficult start to his AFL career culminated in Aaron requesting a trade away from the club he supported as a child, , to move back to
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. However, as little interest was shown by both the recent Grand Final Runners Up,
Adelaide Football Club
The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...
, or the
Port Adelaide Football Club
Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...
, Essendon chose not to release Aaron from his contract, which was due to expire at the conclusion of the 2019 AFL season because they still saw the untapped potential which swayed them to draft Aaron with pick 6 in the
2015 national draft and fully backed him to improve.
Before the commencement of the 2018 AFL season, Aaron, notified his teammates and of his decision to take some time away from Football due to his struggle with mental health - not doubt relating to his decision to request a trade a few months earlier. Surprisingly, Aaron spent this time mainly in Melbourne - including a stint coaching a local junior Basketball team - all while the club and his teammates stayed in contact. Fortunately for , Aaron returned to the club shortly after to resume training, but the club chose to take a cautious approach, giving him all the time to get back to full fitness before pushing for senior selection again.
After some strong performances in the VFL and toward the end of the AFL season, Aaron was selected to return to the senior team against
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in Round 19, with 5 games until the end of the 2018 Home and Away season and as Essendon's finals hopes faded. Aaron took this opportunity with both hands and delivered some moments of brilliance in the last 5 games of the season; including an eight mark effort against reigning premiers,
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...
, being named in Essendon's best, as well as soaring for a
Mark of the Year
The annual Australian Football League Mark of the Year competition (currently also known as the Four'N Twenty AFL Mark of the Year) is a sporting award that celebrates each season's best mark. A mark is the action of a player cleanly catchin ...
contender against Port Adelaide in Round 23 over former player,
Paddy Ryder
Patrick Ryder (born 14 March 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the , and St Kilda Football Clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Ryder was noted for his speed, agility and leap for someone of his size and ...
. which to the AFL communities surprise, did not even receive a nomination in the lead up to the 2018
Brownlow Medal
The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...
night, when Swan
Isaac Heeney
Isaac Heeney (born 5 May 1996) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League.
Early life
Heeney was born in Maitland, New South Wales to mother Rochelle and father Adam. He grew ...
took out the award.
At the conclusion of the
2022 AFL season
The 2022 AFL season is the 126th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season features ...
, Francis was traded to for a fresh opportunity after struggling to cement himself in Essendon's best 22.
Statistics
:''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2020 season''
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, , , , 10 , , 3 , , 1 , , 2 , , 20 , , 11 , , 31 , , 12 , , 5 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 6.7 , , 3.7 , , 10.3 , , 4.0 , , 1.7
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, , , 10 , , 2 , , 1 , , 3 , , 10 , , 12 , , 22 , , 7 , , 3 , , 0.5 , , 1.5 , , 5.0 , , 6.0 , , 11.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.5
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, , , 10 , , 5 , , 1 , , 0 , , 51 , , 15 , , 66 , , 32 , , 11 , , 0.2 , , 0 , , 10.2 , , 3 , , 13.2 , , 6.4 , , 2.2
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, , , 10 , , 17 , , 3 , , 3 , , 129 , , 96 , , 225 , , 80 , , 30 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 7.6 , , 5.7 , , 13.2 , , 4.7 , , 1.8
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, , , 10 , , 8 , , 0 , , 0 , , 44 , , 35 , , 79 , , 27 , , 14 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 5.5 , , 4.4 , , 9.9 , , 3.4 , , 1.8
, - class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3, Career
! 35
! 6
! 8
! 254
! 169
! 423
! 158
! 63
! 0.2
! 0.3
! 7.3
! 4.8
! 12.1
! 4.5
! 1.8
References
External links
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*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Aaron
1997 births
Living people
Essendon Football Club players
West Adelaide Football Club players
Australian rules footballers from South Australia