Jason Holmes is set to become the first US citizen* recruited from the US to play in the AFL on Saturday after being selected by St Kilda to take on Geelong at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.Holmes has spent two seasons at St Kilda learning the game in the VFL with Sandringham. Holmes is a competent ruckman at VFL level and is good for the occasional goal up forward too. He played with the St Kilda team in the NAB Cup preseason competition which should help to ease his nerves a little going into this match on Saturday.
Holmes has played 17 matches with Sandringham this year kicking five goals and averages 29 hit-outs per match including a high of 60 against Port Melbourne in Round 9.
With Jack Billings being placed on the long-term injury list after scans showed a hot spot in his shin had developed into a stress fracture, there was a place available to elevate Holmes to the senior list. Today the Saints elevated Holmes to that spot and have named him in the ruck. In all likelihood he may start the game in the subs vest.
Coach Alan Richardson hinted at Holmes debut ealier this week saying he was "right in the mix" to play Saturday night.
Holmes came to footy after his basketball career at Moorehead State in Kentucky (the Ohio Valley Conference of the NCAA Division I-AA) came to an end. He had a multiple sports background in basketball, soccer, NFL, baseball and golf. He was introduced to Aussie rules football at the USA Combine in April 2013 in Los Angeles.
Holmes got a small taste of the Australian game playing in the Chicago Swans Football Club’s Metro League. In the USAFL many of the clubs are geographically isolated and for regular matches they play ‘Metro’ matches with less players than the usual 18 and on smaller fields. Holmes had runs with the Lincoln Square Tigers, the Lincoln Park Piranhas and the Wrigleyville Rhinos in May and June of 2013.
Following this he came to Australia for some time with Paul Roos to prepare for the National Draft Combine held in Melbourne late in 2013 and was signed up by the Saints before the Combine was completed.
Last week Holmes was signed to a contract extension to the end of the 2016 season and following his debut this weekend will be hoping to be a regular part of the St Kilda team as they look to climb back up the ladder next year after a poor 2015 season.
His debut comes as a massive vindication of AFL efforts to find US talent via Combines held over the last few years in Los Angeles and Florida. The work of those such as Paul Roos, Kevin Sheehan, Mick Ablett, Tadhg Kennelly and Tony Woods along with key members of the USAFL in getting Holmes and other US athletes to AFL clubs will have it's first big pay-off on Saturday night.
The American's debut will be noted by players of the game all around the world (and those that wonder if they could) that the journey can be made from a non footy background if you are willing to put in the work, just as Holmes has clearly done.
2015 VFL Stats for Jason Holmes at Sandringham vs all teams
| Date | Opposition | BST | G | BHD | KE | KIE | HE | HIE | HR | CM | UM | MKS | TKS | FF | FA | HO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 19/Apr | Essendon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| Sun 26/Apr | Williamstown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| Sun 3/May | Northern Blues | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 37 |
| Sat 9/May | Casey Scorpions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 20 |
| Sun 17/May | Frankston | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 39 |
| Sun 24/May | Box Hill Hawks | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 35 |
| Sat 30/May | Werribee Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 26 |
| Sat 6/Jun | North Ballarat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 30 |
| Sat 13/Jun | Port Melbourne | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 60 |
| Sun 28/Jun | Footscray Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| Sat 4/Jul | Collingwood | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 30 |
| Sun 12/Jul | Coburg | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 28 |
| Sat 18/Jul | Werribee Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 23 |
| Sat 25/Jul | Richmond Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| Sun 9/Aug | Port Melbourne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 32 |
| Sun 16/Aug | Northern Blues | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 33 |
*Don Pyke (WCE) and Sanford Wheeler (Syd) were both born in the USA but moved to live permanently in Australia from early childhood. ...