James Walker (Australian footballer)

James Walker (born 15 January 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He mainly played as a midfielder or a small defender.

James Walker
Personal information
Date of birth (1979-01-15) 15 January 1979 (age 45)
Original team(s) North Ballarat Rebels
Draft 6th overall, 1997 National Draft
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 79 kg (174 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder, small defender
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1998–2007 Fremantle 151 (16)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2007.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

He entered the University of Melbourne in 1997, where he was a resident at Trinity College, and in 2015, he gave the Cordner Oration at Grand Final Breakfast held at Trinity College.[1]

Walker was drafted from the North Ballarat Rebels with the sixth selection in the 1997 National Draft and made his AFL debut against Essendon at Subiaco Oval in round 19, 1998. He played over 150 games for Fremantle, the first Victorian born player to do so.[2] When not selected for the Fremantle side, he played for the Peel Thunder in the West Australian Football League, after initially playing for East Perth.

He won the AFL Grand Final Sprint in 2003 and 2004 and was noted as one of the fastest players in the AFL. He is the great-grandson of Collingwood legend Gordon Coventry.[3]

Walker was delisted by Fremantle at the end of the 2007 season and chose to participate in the 2007–08 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race on board the yacht westernaustralia2011.com for the race leg across the Southern Ocean between Durban and Fremantle.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Cordner Oration"
  2. ^ McManus, Luke (24 October 2007). "Life Member – James Walker". Fremantlefc.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  3. ^ Hutchison, Craig (27 May 2007). "Pssst". Realfooty.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  4. ^ AAP (21 November 2007). "Fremantle Docker James Walker pulls anchor". PerthNow. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
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