Jason Gram
#1 - Jason Gram - St Kilda FC
Personal information
Full name	Jason Gram
Birth	27 April 1984 (1984-04-27) (age 25)
Place of birth	Victoria, Australia
Recruited from	Gippsland Power
Draft	2001: 19th overall (Brisbane Lions)
Height	186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	87 kg (13 st 10 lb)
Playing Career
Position(s)	Midfielder
Club	St Kilda
Number	1
Club
Years	Team	Pld	G
2003	Brisbane Lions	2	0
2004–	St Kilda	99	51
	Total	101	51

Jason Gram (born 27 April 1984) is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

[edit] AFL career

Gram at training prior to the 2009 AFL Grand Final

As a junior with Gippsland Power, Gram quit football for basketball with a view to making the elite level in that sport. It took one phone call from the Power coach of the day, dual Essendon premiership player Darren Bewick, to reverse his decision. ^[1]

[edit] Brisbane

Gram was drafted by Brisbane Lions as the 19th pick in the 2001 AFL Draft. But in two years, both of which culminated in Lions' premierships, Gram was chosen for only two games, amounting to 20 minutes' playing time.

His last minutes as a Brisbane player would prove unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. His attempted clearance was smothered and led to a goal that lost the Lions the lead against Fremantle late in a game.

Gram cherished his brief moments of senior footy at Brisbane but was ready to go home, where he felt he would have more opportunities.

[edit] St Kilda

In 2006 he finished second in St. Kilda's Best & Fairest Trevor Barker Award, and at the conclusion of the season it was announced that Gram had signed for a further two years. He accepted the #1 guernsey from the retiring Justin Peckett.

[edit] 2008 NAB Cup & Michael Tuck Medal

Gram's 2008 got off to a great start when he was awarded the Michael Tuck Medal for his best on ground performance during St Kilda's 2008 NAB Cup premiership win. ^[2][3]

[edit] 2009 Season

Gram played in 21 of 22 matches in the 2009 AFL Premiership Season Home & Away Rounds where the St Kilda Football Club qualified in first position for the 2009 AFL Finals Series, winning the club’s 3rd Minor Premiership.^[4]

St Kilda won direct qualification through to the 2009 AFL Grand Final after Qualifying & Preliminary Final wins. St Kilda was defeated in the 2009 AFL Grand Final by 12 points.

He was among the best players on the ground in the 2009 AFL Grand Final^[5], in which St Kilda lost to Geelong. He finished equal on votes in the Norm Smith Medal vote with Paul Chapman of Geelong, with Chapman receiving the medal on a countback. Chapman received the maximum possible 3 votes from 3 of the 5 judges, while Gram received maximum possible 3 votes from 1 judge.^[6]

As of the end of the 2009 AFL Premiership Season, Gram had played in 7 AFL Finals Series matches - including 1 AFL Grand Final - and 1 AFL Cup Final.

[edit] Career highlights

• St Kilda Minor Premiership Team 2009
• St. Kilda AFL Cup Winning Team 2008
• Michael Tuck Medalist 2008
• 2nd St Kilda Football Club Best & Fairest Trevor Barker Award 2006
• International Rules Series 2006

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: St Kilda Football Club

• Jason Gram profile on the Official AFL Website of the St Kilda Football Club
• Jason Gram's statistics from AFL Tables