Heath James
Encyclopedia
Heath James is a former Australian rules football
er, who retired in 2005 due to a number of injuries.
After being drafted by the Sydney Swans at Pick #28 in the 1998 AFL Draft
, under the Father-son rule
from the Port Adelaide Magpies in the South Australian National Football League
, James made his AFL debut in Round 19 of the 1999 season. He suffered numerous hamstring
and knee injuries during his career, managing to play just 18 of a possible 162 games (including finals) (11.11% of club games) in 7 seasons with the Swans (1999-2005). He was delisted and re-drafted twice more during his career, in the 2003 Rookie draft
and the 2004 National Draft
. During his injury-interrupted tenure in Sydney, James built up a reputation as a resilient player and person. He has since taken up a game day role with the club. His father Max James
also played for Port Adelaide and South Melbourne, prior to their relocation to Sydney.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er, who retired in 2005 due to a number of injuries.
After being drafted by the Sydney Swans at Pick #28 in the 1998 AFL Draft
1998 AFL Draft
The 1998 AFL Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.In 1998 there...
, under the Father-son rule
Father-son rule
The father-son rule is a rule that allows clubs to select the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team in Australian rules football, most notably the Australian Football League...
from the Port Adelaide Magpies in the South Australian National Football League
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
, James made his AFL debut in Round 19 of the 1999 season. He suffered numerous hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
and knee injuries during his career, managing to play just 18 of a possible 162 games (including finals) (11.11% of club games) in 7 seasons with the Swans (1999-2005). He was delisted and re-drafted twice more during his career, in the 2003 Rookie draft
2002 AFL Draft
The 2002 AFL Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and the elevation of rookies. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.In 2002...
and the 2004 National Draft
2004 AFL Draft
The 2004 AFL Draft, concerning player acquisitions in the 2004/05 Australian Football League off-season, consisted of a trade period, a national draft, a pre-season draft, and the elevation of rookies...
. During his injury-interrupted tenure in Sydney, James built up a reputation as a resilient player and person. He has since taken up a game day role with the club. His father Max James
Max James
Max James is a former Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League . He also spent some time in the South Australian National Football League with Port Adelaide during the 1970s.James started out at Port Adelaide in 1971 and was a member of their...
also played for Port Adelaide and South Melbourne, prior to their relocation to Sydney.