Aaron James (born 31 October 1976) is an

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 who played with Collingwood,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

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). Having performed well in the

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victo ...

, Collingwood selected James with pick 35 in the 1993 AFL draft. He was just 17 when he made his AFL debut in 1994, against Hawthorn, but his only statistic from the game was a free kick against.AFL Tables: Aaron James
/ref> After making just one further appearance that year, James became a regular member of the team in 1995 with 16 games for the season. A knee injury kept him out of the side for the entirety of 1996 but still made headlines when he was charged with affray following a brawl with nightclub security. He did not return until midway through the 1997 season and at the end of the year was again in trouble, this time for urinating on two women at the "Saloon Bar" in South Yarra. Fined for both incidents, Collingwood lost patience with him and he was traded to Richmond. The trade saw

Brad Smith Brad or Bradley Smith may refer to: Sportspeople * Bradley Smith (cricketer) (born 1969), English former cricketer * Brad Smith (footballer, born 1948), Australian rules footballer and premiership coach of East Fremantle * Brad Smith (ice hockey) ...

and Jamie Tape go to Collingwood, while Richmond received James as well as the draft pick which was used to get Andrew Kellaway. James spent four seasons at Richmond, playing seven games in 1998 and ten more in 1999. He was a regular fixture in the side for the second half of the

2000 AFL season The 2000 AFL season was the 104th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured six ...

but another knee injury, suffered during the final round match against Carlton, would mean he missed another year of football, in 2001. He nominated for the

2001 AFL draft The 2001 AFL draft consisted of a state draft, a body draft, a pre-season draft and a trade period. The AFL draft is the annual draft of players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Aust ...

and was secured by the Western Bulldogs with the 83rd and final pick of the draft. His appearance for the Bulldogs in the opening round of the 2002 season, at Docklands, was to be his last AFL game and he scored a behind with his only possession. Before the end of the season, James left the Bulldogs and finished the year in the

Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Sandhurst Football Association, Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball compe ...

. He was a member of Gisborne's 2002 premiership team and in 2003 kicked over 100 goals playing at

full-forward Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals. The Coleman Medal is awarded to the player, often a full-forward, who has kicked the most goals in an Australian Football League se ...

for the

Doutta Stars The Essendon Doutta Stars Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 10 km north west of Melbourne in the suburb of Essendon, Victoria, Essendon, and affiliated with the Essendon District Football League in 1946. Histor ...

of the EDFL. In 2004 he played with

Lalor Lalor is an Irish surname derived from the Irish ''Ó Leathlobhair'', from ''leath-'' “leper; weak, ailing person”. Notable people with the surname include: * Denis Lalor, athlete * Francis Ramsey Lalor (1856–1929), politician * John Lalor ...

in the

Diamond Valley Football League The Northern Football Netball League (formerly known as the Diamond Valley Football League and later Northern Football League) is an Australian sports league based in the Diamond Creek, Victoria, Diamond Valley region of suburban Melbourne, Vi ...

and was again prolific as a forward, kicking 114 goals to top the league's charts. He was at Albion in 2005 and kicked over 100 goals for the third successive season of regional football.''

Bendigo Advertiser The ''Bendigo Advertiser'' (commonly referred to as ''"The Addy"'') is an Australian regional newspaper. It is the daily (Monday–Saturday) newspaper for Bendigo, Victoria, and its surrounding region. The paper is published by Australian Communi ...

''
"James reaches century"
20 July 2009, Luke West. Continuing the pattern of one season club stints, James was with RDFL club the Sunbury Kangaroos in 2006. During the finals series that year he was reported for threatening behavior towards an umpire and suspended for 15 weeks. This kept him out of action for much of 2007 but the following year he played some good football at Stanhope. He kicked 130 goals in the 2009 HDFL season with North Bendigo and had another prolific year up forward in 2010 at Kilmore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Aaron 1976 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Collingwood Football Club players Richmond Football Club players Western Bulldogs players Western Jets players Gisborne Football Club players Lalor Football Club players Doutta Stars Football Club players Melton Football Club players Living people