Jeremy Laidler (born 5 August 1989) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club, Carlton Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Jeremy Laidler
Laidler in July 2019
Personal information
Full name Jeremy Laidler
Date of birth (1989-08-05) 5 August 1989 (age 35)
Original team(s) Calder Cannons
Draft No. 32, 2008 rookie draft
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 79 kg (174 lb)
Position(s) Half back
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2009–2010 Geelong 02 (0)
2011–2013 Carlton 24 (2)
2014–2017 Sydney 61 (6)
Total 87 (8)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2017.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Junior career

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Laidler played junior football for the Doutta Stars, and TAC Cup football for the Calder Cannons.[1] Laidler represented Vic Metro in the NAB AFL U18 Championships, and was the recipient of the Calder Cannons' best and fairest award for 2007.[2]

AFL career

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Geelong (2008–2010)

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Laidler was recruited by the Geelong Football Club in the 2008 rookie draft with its second selection (No. 32 overall). At Geelong, Laidler was switched from playing forward (where he had scored 25 goals in his season with the Cannons) to defence.[1] In 2009, he was promoted midseason to Geelong's senior list after some strong form for the club's VFL team and a string of long-term injuries in the backline allowed the Cats to make such a promotion.[3] He made his senior debut against the Brisbane Lions, but only played that one game for the year. He was elevated to the senior list for the 2010 season,[4] but again played only one senior game for the year. By the end of the 2010 season, Laidler had played two AFL games and 50 VFL games for the Cats.[1][5]

Carlton (2011–2013)

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Laidler was traded to the Carlton Football Club during the 2010 AFL Trade Week, in a deal which saw Geelong receive a third round draft pick (No. 54 overall) and saw the clubs swap second round draft picks (Geelong finishing with No. 37 overall, and Carlton finishing with No. 42 overall).[6] Carlton had also been keen to recruit the defender at the end of 2009, and Laidler saw the move as a good opportunity to play more senior football, having been unable to break into the very strong Geelong defence.[7] Laidler immediately became a regular in Carlton's defence, making his debut for the club in Round 1, 2011 against Richmond,[8] and playing nineteen matches for the year. He played the first four games of 2012, before missing the rest of the season with a dislocated knee.[9] In 2013, Laidler fell out of favour with new Carlton coach Mick Malthouse, not fitting into the new coach's defensive structure; he played only one senior match for the season, and requested to be traded at the end of the year, again seeking more greater opportunities for senior football.[10] After being unable to find a suitable trade during the 2013 trade period, Laidler was subsequently delisted by Carlton.

Sydney (2014–2017)

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After being delisted by Carlton, Laidler was signed by the Sydney Swans as a delisted free agent. Laidler played his first game for Sydney in the opening round of the 2014 AFL season against Greater Western Sydney. In round 8, 2016, Laidler played his 50th game for the club. At the conclusion of the 2017 season, he announced his retirement from AFL football.[11]

Statistics

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Statistics are correct to the end of the 2017 season[12]
Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2009 Geelong 37 1 0 0 3 6 9 0 2 0.0 0.0 3.0 6.0 9.0 0.0 2.0
2010 Geelong 37 1 0 0 5 11 16 2 4 0.0 0.0 5.0 11.0 16.0 2.0 4.0
2011 Carlton 15 19 2 1 195 105 300 110 42 0.1 0.1 10.3 5.5 15.8 5.8 2.2
2012 Carlton 15 4 0 0 27 20 47 16 5 0.0 0.0 6.8 5.0 11.8 4.0 1.3
2013 Carlton 15 1 0 0 3 1 4 1 5 0.0 0.0 3.0 1.0 4.0 1.0 5.0
2014 Sydney 11 19 3 4 125 142 267 61 32 0.2 0.2 6.6 7.5 14.1 3.2 1.7
2015 Sydney 11 23 2 3 181 180 361 79 37 0.1 0.1 7.9 7.8 15.7 3.4 1.6
2016 Sydney 11 16 0 0 97 106 203 44 35 0.0 0.0 6.1 6.6 12.7 2.8 2.2
2017 Sydney 11 3 1 1 21 22 43 10 9 0.3 0.3 7.0 7.3 14.3 3.3 3.0
Career 87 8 9 657 593 1250 323 171 0.1 0.1 7.6 6.8 14.4 3.7 2.0

Personal life

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Laidler's wife, Amber (née Greasley, born 1993), is a former Miss World Australia and currently a reporter for Seven News Sydney. The pair married on 3 November 2017.[13][14] Amber gave birth to a baby boy in January 2022 nearly eight weeks premature.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Geelong Cats, Jeremy Laidler Player Profile Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 23 March 2011
  2. ^ Cats add four rookies [permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Six Geelong stars could return to face Melbourne Demons". Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  4. ^ "FOX SPORTS | Live Sports Scores | NRL, AFL, Cricket Scores". FOX SPORTS. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  5. ^ Sportingpulse Player statistics for Jeremy Laidler, Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  6. ^ "Geelong snares pick 15, offloads Laidler - AFL.com.au". www.afl.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  7. ^ Anderson, Jon (23 July 2011). "The best laid plans are cruel for Cats". Herald Sun. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  8. ^ Carlton Football Club, Three to make their Carlton debut Archived 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 23 March 2011, Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  9. ^ Landsberger, Sam; Leigh, Howard (24 June 2012). "Carlton defender Jeremy Laidler likely to miss rest of the season with re-injured knee". Herald Sun. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  10. ^ "Jeremy Laidler says Mick Malthouse didn't want to pick him at Carlton". Herald Sun. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  11. ^ "Journeyman Laidler retires". sydneyswans.com.au. Telstra. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Jeremy Laidler stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  13. ^ "AFL players and partners ready to soak up season of love". The Daily Telegraph. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  14. ^ Jepsen, Belinda (9 November 2017). "Less than an hour before her wedding ceremony, three of Amber's bridesmaids dresses broke". Mamam!a. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  15. ^ "'Couldn't wait': Seven presenter, AFL star welcome baby boy eight weeks early". news. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
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