Caleb Serong (born 9 February 2001) is an
Australian rules footballer and the co vice-captain of the
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fr ...
in the
Australian Football League (AFL).
Early life
Serong grew up in the
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
n country town of
Inverloch before moving to
Warragul
Warragul is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north. As of the , the town had a population of 19,8 ...
. From 2013 to 2015 Caleb played for the Warragul Colts JFC he was the U12's best & fairest of 2013 and also helped the U14.5's win the Warragul and District Junior Football League premiership that year. He attended
St Paul's Anglican Grammar School
St Paul's Anglican Grammar School is a multi-campus private Anglican co-educational early learning, primary, and secondary day school, with campuses located in and , Victoria, Australia.
Founded in 1982 in Warragul, St Paul's is a member o ...
and later boarded at
Geelong Grammar School
, motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"( 1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom)
, city = Corio, Victoria
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, ...
on a sports scholarship. He was drafted with the 8th selection in the
2019 AFL draft
The 2019 AFL draft consists of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) can trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2019 AFL season.
Key dates
Mid-season rookie draft
The first mid ...
from
Gippsland Power
The Gippsland Power is an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia.
Honours
*Premierships (1): 2005
*Runners-up (3): 1999, 2010, 2012
*Wooden Spoons (1): 2003
*Morrish Med ...
in the
NAB League
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 ...
. He made his senior debut for
Warragul Football Club
The Warragul Football and Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Gulls'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of the same name in the state of Victoria.
The club teams currently compete in the Gippsland League, fielding ...
at the age of 15. He co-captained the Victoria Country team at the
2019 AFL Under 18 Championships
The 2019 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships was the 24th edition of the AFL Under 18 Championships, AFL Under-18 Championships.
The tournament was played between five teams—The Allies (Australian rules football), Allies, South Australian state f ...
, where he was awarded the team's
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
award and was named in the
All-Australian team
The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...
.
AFL career
Serong was recruited by
Fremantle with pick eight in the
2019 AFL draft
The 2019 AFL draft consists of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) can trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2019 AFL season.
Key dates
Mid-season rookie draft
The first mid ...
and made his debut in the fourth round of the
2020 AFL season
The 2020 AFL season was the 124th 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 feature ...
at
Metricon Stadium
Carrara Stadium (known commercially as Metricon Stadium) is a stadium on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara.
The stadium is primarily used for Australian rules football, serving as the home ground of th ...
against
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
.
In Round 8 of the
2020 AFL season
The 2020 AFL season was the 124th 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 feature ...
Serong was awarded the
Rising Star nomination after being one of Fremantle's best players in their 32 point loss to
Geelong, and won the award overall at the season's conclusion. A thrilling
Western Derby
The Western Derby () is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capit ...
in round 22 of the
2021 AFL season saw Serong win
Goal of the Year after kicking a remarkable off-the-canvas banana from an 'impossible angle' deep within
Optus Stadium’s south-east pocket. He was awarded the Glendinning-Allan Medal for best on ground.
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 featur ...
saw Serong play 22 out of a possible 24 games, missing Fremantle's Round 3 Western Derby due to a sore knee, as well as their clash against
GWS the following week. He was arguably best-afield during Fremantle's round 23 clash against GWS at
Manuka Oval
Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating capacity of 13,550 people and an overall capacity of 16,000 people, althoug ...
in
Canberra, collecting a game-high 32 possessions, 11 clearances, eight score involvements and kicking a goal. Serong again had a stand out performance the next week during Fremantle's elimination final against 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 ...
at Optus Stadium, racking up 33 disposals, 10 clearances and a goal. Following the 2022 season Serong was named co vice-captain of Fremantle alongside
Andrew Brayshaw
Andrew Brayshaw (born 8 November 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Early career
After an impressive junior career for his school, Haileybury, ...
.
In round 3 of the
2023 season, Serong won the
Glendinning-Allan Medal for best on ground in the Western Derby against the
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...
with 35 disposals and 9 score involvements, and tallying a perfect 10 coaches votes. Serong collected 37 disposals and was best afield during Fremantle's round 5 game against , which was played at
Norwood Oval in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, due to the AFL's inaugural
Gather Round. Serong was among Fremantle's best in round 20, during their 7 point win over at
Kardinia Park
Kardinia Park is a major public park located in South Geelong, Victoria. A number of public and sporting facilities are located in the park: a major AFL stadium, a secondary football oval, a cricket field, an open air swimming pool, a numb ...
, collecting a game-high 29 disposals.
Family
Caleb's younger brother
Jai was drafted by in the
2021 AFL draft.
Statistics
''Updated to the end of round 10, 2023''.
[}]
, -
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
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, 14 , , 2 , , 1 , , 127 , , 109 , , 236 , , 32 , , 58 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 9.1 , , 7.8 , , 16.9 , , 2.3 , , 4.1 , , 1
, -
,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
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, 22 , , 8 , , 10 , , 279 , , 224 , , 503 , , 64 , , 72 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 12.7 , , 10.2 , , 22.9 , , 2.9 , , 3.3 , , 5
, -
,
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
, , , , 3
, 22 , , 5 , , 9 , , 272 , , 309 , , 581 , , 57 , , 96 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 12.4 , , 14.0 , , 26.4 , , 2.6 , , 4.4 , , 5
, -
,
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
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, 9 , , 1 , , 5 , , 160 , , 147 , , 309 , , 29 , , 54 , , 0.1 , , 0.5 , , 17.7 , , 16.3 , , 34.3 , , 3.2 , , 6.0 , , TBC
, - class=sortbottom
! colspan=3 , Career
! 67 !! 16 !! 25 !! 838 !! 789 !! 1627 !! 182 !! 280 !! 0.2 !! 0.3 !! 12.5 !! 11.7 !! 24.2 !! 2.7 !! 4.1 !! 11
Notes
Honours and achievements
Individual
*
AFL Rising Star
The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Buc ...
:
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
*
AFLPA Best First Year Player Award: 2020
*
AFLCA Best Young Player Award: 2020
*
AFL Goal of the Year: 2021
*
Glendinning–Allan Medal
The Glendinning–Allan Medal, formerly the Ross Glenndinning Medal, is awarded to the player judged best on ground in each Western Derby Australian rules football, football match played between Fremantle Football Club and the West Coast Eagles.
...
: 2021 (round 22), 2023 (round 3)
*
22under22 team: 2022
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serong, Caleb
2001 births
Living people
Fremantle Football Club players
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
Gippsland Power players
People educated at Geelong Grammar School