Jade Gresham (born 24 August 1997) 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 playing for the

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club ...

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). He was drafted as pick 18 in the

2015 AFL draft The 2015 Australian Football League draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) can trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2015 AFL season. Additions to each club's playin ...

AFL career

2016 season

He made his debut in round 1 of the

2016 AFL season The 2016 AFL season was the 120th 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 e ...

against at

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

. Gresham played 18 games in the 2016 AFL premiership season, finishing with 11 goals and an average of 15 disposals per game. He was nominated for the

2016 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. An AFL Rising Star#Eligibility and nominations, eligible player is no ...

for his efforts in the Saints' comeback victory over in Round 14, which included kicking a contender for Goal of the Year late in the match.

2017 season

Prior to the 2017 season, Gresham signed a two-year contract extension with St Kilda, committing to the club until the end of the 2019 season. Gresham played in all 22 games for the Saints in 2017. He kicked 30 goals and averaged 14 disposals.

2018 season

Gresham played in all 22 games for the Saints in 2018 and led the Saints' goalkicking with 35 goals, including a career-high six goals in the Saints' round 10 loss to . In round 13, Gresham earned his third career Goal of the Year nomination as the Saints overcame a 39-point deficit to defeat the .

2019 season

Gresham played 19 of a possible 22 games in 2019 and began to assert himself as one of the Saints' best young players, averaging 22 disposals a game. Gresham signed a four-year contract extension in May 2019, to remain a Saint until at least the end of 2023.

2020 season

The 2020 season was affected by

Covid19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

with the quarters reduced to 16 minutes after round one, and the regular season reduced to 17 matches per team. Gresham played the first 11 games of the season and was a key member of the Saints' midfield, but suffered a stress fracture in his back and took no further part in the 2020 campaign.

2021 season

Gresham began the 2021 campaign strongly, playing the opening three rounds of the season, collecting 28 disposals against GWS and 29 disposals and a goal against Melbourne. In round three against Essendon, Gresham ruptured his achilies. The injury ruled him out of the remainder of the season as the tendon required surgery and nine months of recovery.

Personal life

Gresham is of

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

descent, hailing from the

Yorta Yorta The Yorta Yorta, also known as Jotijota, are an Aboriginal Australian people who have traditionally inhabited the area surrounding the junction of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in present-day north-eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales ...

people. He and his mother, Michelle, played a key role in designing St Kilda's 2017

AFL Indigenous Round The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, 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 ...

guernsey. Gresham's father, Jamie, played u18s football with

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...

legend

Brent Harvey Brent Harvey (born 14 May 1978), often known by his nickname "Boomer", is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He holds the record for most matches played ...

. Gresham cited Harvey as a big influence on how he developed as a player before being drafted.

Career statistics

''Updated to the end of round 7, 2023''. , - ,

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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- ...

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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 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, , , , 4 , 18 , , 16 , , 18 , , 224 , , 195 , , 419 , , 50 , , 57 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 12.4 , , 10.8 , , 23.3 , , 2.8 , , 3.2 , , 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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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gresham, Jade 1997 births Living people St Kilda Football Club players Northern Knights players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Sandringham Football Club players