Sam Naismith
Sam Naismith (born 16 July 1992) was a former Ruckman for the Sydney Swans. He is currently signed to the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Sam Naismith | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Naismith playing for Sydney in June 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Sam Naismith | ||
| Date of birth | 16 July 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Narrabri, New South Wales | ||
| Original team(s) |
North Shore (Sydney AFL) Gunnedah (TAFL) | ||
| Draft | 59th pick, 2013 Rookie Draft | ||
| Height | 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 108 kg (238 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Ruckman | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2014-2022 | Sydney | 30 (3) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2022 season. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early life and junior football
Naismith was born in Narrabri, New South Wales but moved to Gunnedah with his family at a young age. He grew up playing rugby league and supported the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League. He first played Australian rules football at the age of 16 when a school friend convinced him to take part in a few training sessions with the Gunnedah Bulldogs.[1] A year later, as a 17-year-old, he was named joint best and fairest winner of the Tamworth Australian Football League in 2009.[2][3] By 2011 Naismith was ready to quit Aussie rules and move to Sydney to play rugby union until then-Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos called him and invited him to join the Swans' talent academy.[4] Naismith accepted the invitation and began playing for the North Shore Bombers in the Sydney AFLcompetition in 2012. By the end of the season he was rookie drafted by the Swans.
AFL & VFL career
Naismith made his debut for the Swans in the final round of 2014 season against Richmond. Naismith carried the ruck duties alone that day as Mike Pyke and Tom Derickx were both injured.[5]
On the 6th December 2022 Sam was delisted by the Swans and signed for VFL side Port Melbourne Football Club. He played for them in 2023.
Statistics
Updated to the end of the 2022 season.[6]
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks | H/O |
Hit-outs |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | ||||
| 2014 | Sydney | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 |
| 2015 | Sydney | 35 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | Sydney | 35 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 68 | 110 | 25 | 39 | 277 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 9.2 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 23.1 |
| 2017 | Sydney | 35 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 52 | 81 | 133 | 25 | 40 | 419 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.5 | 5.4 | 8.9 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 27.9 |
| 2018 | Sydney | 35 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Sydney | 35 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020[lower-alpha 1] | Sydney | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 53 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 26.5 |
| 2021 | Sydney | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022 | Sydney | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 30 | 3 | 4 | 109 | 159 | 268 | 56 | 91 | 765 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 8.9 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 25.5 | ||
- The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
- Swans recruit Gunnedah local
- Tamworth pair reunite at Ladies Lunch
- Triple dead heat in Tony Gillies Medal
- Sam Naismith was set to quit Aussie rules until he got a phone call from Sydney coach Paul Roos
- http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/sydney-cant-afford-to-lose-mike-pyke-but-sam-naismith-and-toby-nankervis-are-ready/story-fni5fan6-1227032290766?nk=cbb62af7d3191652ba7663c2e9357e9c
- "Sam Naismith stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
External links
- Sam Naismith's profile on the official website of the Sydney Swans
- Sam Naismith's playing statistics from AFL Tables