JAMES Frawley says this Sunday’s clash against Adelaide Crows at the MCG is all about saying farewell to club great Brad Green.
And while he’s mostly correct, there will be a portion of acknowledgement saved for Frawley, who will play his 100th AFL match this round.
It’s a fine achievement for 23 year-old, who has been one of Melbourne’s best young players in a tough period for the club since debuting in 2007 - coincidentally the year after Melbourne most recently played finals.
“It’s definitely something special to play your 100th game in Greeny’s tribute game. He’s been a great of the club and it’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” Frawley told melbournefc.com.au.
“I’m trying to step up and play my all for Greeny, so hopefully we’ll get the four points for him and then get him in the MCG changerooms and sing the song with him for the last time.
“But I’m just happy to reach the milestone and keep ticking along … hopefully there is a bit more footy to go. Mum and Dad, I dare say, are pretty proud of me. I think all of the family and a few mates from back home are coming down from Ballarat, so I’ll probably catch up with them after the game and have dinner with them.”
Frawley was originally drafted by Melbourne from North Ballarat (U18) with pick No.12 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft.
Despite the lack of success he has had with Melbourne, Frawley said he had “loved every minute” of his career and was desperate to turn the club’s fortunes around.
“Six years has gone without a breath. It’s definitely been a whirlwind ride. It’s gone very quick and time has flown by,” he said.
“I walked into the Junction Oval at 18 years of age and I was a skinny kid and I saw blokes like David Neitz, Jeff White, Adem Yze and people I’d looked up to as a kid from the previous 10 years.
“It was very daunting walking in and now I’ve matured a fair bit and now there are all these young kids coming in, which reminds me of when I came in.”
Although he is far from being a veteran, Frawley said he often felt like an older player, given Melbourne’s youthful list.
“You look at the captains - Grimesy (Jack Grimes) and Trenners (Jack Trengove) and they’re younger than me - and then there is a core group around my age and then a lot of young blokes as well.
“But we’ve still got Jared Rivers, Greeny and Russian (Mark Jamar), who keep me young.
“I definitely feel a bit older and more experienced, because I’ve played a lot of games early in my career. That’s one thing that’s helped me - learning quickly on the job.”
Although Frawley has averaged 16.5 matches per season since his first listed season - and has missed just seven matches since the start of 2009 - he has dealt with several niggling injuries, two of which stand out.
In his first season, he suffered a foot stress fracture, and last year he sustained a pectoral muscle injury in the pre-season.
“The first year I did my foot, I didn’t really know what to expect. Coming into a new pre-season, you do a lot more work load than you do previously and I was unfortunate enough to get a stress fracture. When you’re young, nothing holds you back,” he said.
“Last year with the pec it was just bad timing. If it had happened earlier in the pre-season, it wouldn’t have been that bad, but it happened leading into the start of the season and it cost me a little bit. I probably rushed back a little bit and came back in round two.
“It took me two to three weeks to play some consistent footy, which hurt the team at the start, but the setbacks you cop every now and then as a footballer, but you’ve just got to get on with it.”
This year, Frawley was elevated to the leadership group - a position he has evolved and developed in considerably as the year has progressed.
“I wasn’t expecting to be in it this year,” he said.
“It’s been really good, because we’ve got eight young blokes and two great captains for the future in Grimsey and Trenners. They made a great speech the other night [at Foundation Heroes], which set the tone for the club for next year. They’re going to be unreal [captains].
“We’re only going to get better, and we’ll have more experiences together.”
He also praised the mentoring from backline coach Jade Rawlings and his development backline coach Andrew Nichol.
“Each player probably connects most with their line coach,” he said.
“It’s great to be able to chat with two blokes about footy and non-footy related issues. They’ve been really good for all of the young boys.
“We’re definitely seeing improvement in the backline group and we hope that’ll keep going up.”
Although he has the ability, barring any mishaps, to play for the next 10 seasons, Frawley has achieved several accolades early in his career.
He has claimed two top three best and fairest finishes, coming second in 2010 and third in 2011.
Frawley was also All-Australian in 2010, and represented Australia in the 2010 and 2011 International Rules series.
Since 2010, he has elevated his game to become one of the best tall defenders in the competition.
Although he acknowledged his achievements, Frawley said winning and building towards a premiership was his only focus.
“It’s all about winning on the field, but I’m happy winning those accolades and we can still get a lot better,” he said.
“I still need to keep improving every day that I’m here, but it’s all about winning on the field and I’m trying to win a premiership, otherwise there’s no reason to come back in 10 years when you’re finished.
“Winning premierships is what it’s all about and hopefully we’ve started [building] this year.”
And while he’s mostly correct, there will be a portion of acknowledgement saved for Frawley, who will play his 100th AFL match this round.
It’s a fine achievement for 23 year-old, who has been one of Melbourne’s best young players in a tough period for the club since debuting in 2007 - coincidentally the year after Melbourne most recently played finals.
“It’s definitely something special to play your 100th game in Greeny’s tribute game. He’s been a great of the club and it’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” Frawley told melbournefc.com.au.
“I’m trying to step up and play my all for Greeny, so hopefully we’ll get the four points for him and then get him in the MCG changerooms and sing the song with him for the last time.
“But I’m just happy to reach the milestone and keep ticking along … hopefully there is a bit more footy to go. Mum and Dad, I dare say, are pretty proud of me. I think all of the family and a few mates from back home are coming down from Ballarat, so I’ll probably catch up with them after the game and have dinner with them.”
Frawley was originally drafted by Melbourne from North Ballarat (U18) with pick No.12 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft.
Despite the lack of success he has had with Melbourne, Frawley said he had “loved every minute” of his career and was desperate to turn the club’s fortunes around.
“Six years has gone without a breath. It’s definitely been a whirlwind ride. It’s gone very quick and time has flown by,” he said.
“I walked into the Junction Oval at 18 years of age and I was a skinny kid and I saw blokes like David Neitz, Jeff White, Adem Yze and people I’d looked up to as a kid from the previous 10 years.
“It was very daunting walking in and now I’ve matured a fair bit and now there are all these young kids coming in, which reminds me of when I came in.”
Although he is far from being a veteran, Frawley said he often felt like an older player, given Melbourne’s youthful list.
“You look at the captains - Grimesy (Jack Grimes) and Trenners (Jack Trengove) and they’re younger than me - and then there is a core group around my age and then a lot of young blokes as well.
“But we’ve still got Jared Rivers, Greeny and Russian (Mark Jamar), who keep me young.
“I definitely feel a bit older and more experienced, because I’ve played a lot of games early in my career. That’s one thing that’s helped me - learning quickly on the job.”
Although Frawley has averaged 16.5 matches per season since his first listed season - and has missed just seven matches since the start of 2009 - he has dealt with several niggling injuries, two of which stand out.
In his first season, he suffered a foot stress fracture, and last year he sustained a pectoral muscle injury in the pre-season.
“The first year I did my foot, I didn’t really know what to expect. Coming into a new pre-season, you do a lot more work load than you do previously and I was unfortunate enough to get a stress fracture. When you’re young, nothing holds you back,” he said.
“Last year with the pec it was just bad timing. If it had happened earlier in the pre-season, it wouldn’t have been that bad, but it happened leading into the start of the season and it cost me a little bit. I probably rushed back a little bit and came back in round two.
“It took me two to three weeks to play some consistent footy, which hurt the team at the start, but the setbacks you cop every now and then as a footballer, but you’ve just got to get on with it.”
This year, Frawley was elevated to the leadership group - a position he has evolved and developed in considerably as the year has progressed.
“I wasn’t expecting to be in it this year,” he said.
“It’s been really good, because we’ve got eight young blokes and two great captains for the future in Grimsey and Trenners. They made a great speech the other night [at Foundation Heroes], which set the tone for the club for next year. They’re going to be unreal [captains].
“We’re only going to get better, and we’ll have more experiences together.”
He also praised the mentoring from backline coach Jade Rawlings and his development backline coach Andrew Nichol.
“Each player probably connects most with their line coach,” he said.
“It’s great to be able to chat with two blokes about footy and non-footy related issues. They’ve been really good for all of the young boys.
“We’re definitely seeing improvement in the backline group and we hope that’ll keep going up.”
Although he has the ability, barring any mishaps, to play for the next 10 seasons, Frawley has achieved several accolades early in his career.
He has claimed two top three best and fairest finishes, coming second in 2010 and third in 2011.
Frawley was also All-Australian in 2010, and represented Australia in the 2010 and 2011 International Rules series.
Since 2010, he has elevated his game to become one of the best tall defenders in the competition.
Although he acknowledged his achievements, Frawley said winning and building towards a premiership was his only focus.
“It’s all about winning on the field, but I’m happy winning those accolades and we can still get a lot better,” he said.
“I still need to keep improving every day that I’m here, but it’s all about winning on the field and I’m trying to win a premiership, otherwise there’s no reason to come back in 10 years when you’re finished.
“Winning premierships is what it’s all about and hopefully we’ve started [building] this year.”
