- Sam Draper's profile on the official website of the Essendon Football Club
- Sam Draper's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Sam Draper at AustralianFootball.com
| Sam Draper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Sam Draper | ||
| Nickname(s) | Drapes | ||
| Date of birth | 28 September 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | South Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | South Adelaide (SANFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 1, 2017 AFL rookie draft | ||
| Height | 205 cm (6 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Ruck | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Essendon | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2020– | Essendon | 57 (25) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2023. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Sam Draper (born 28 September 1998) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited with the 1st draft pick in the 2017 AFL rookie draft.[1][2]
Draper was born in South Australia, but he lived in Brede in East Sussex for six years, where he enjoyed playing soccer.[3]
Draper played for South Adelaide in the SANFL for the 2016 season.[4]
Draper debuted in Round 9 of the 2020 AFL season in Essendon's 63-point loss against the Brisbane Lions.[3][5] On debut, he picked up 9 disposals, 2 marks and 2 tackles, and kicked a behind.[6]
He quickly became a fan favourite through the remainder of the 2020 season due mostly to his extremely physical style of play and mullet hairstyle. He went on to play 8 games and win the club’s Lindsay Griffith’s Rising Star award at the conclusion of the season.[7]
Draper suffered a syndesmosis injury in Round 2 after a good start to the beginning of the season.[8] He was out of the team for 12 weeks before returning to the lineup in Round 14.[9]
Draper kicked Goal of the Year against the Gold Coast Suns in Round 18. Eddie Betts called it Goal of the Year during the course of live commentary.[10]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks | H/O
|
Hit-outs |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | |||||
| 2020[a] | Essendon | 38 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 46 | 20 | 66 | 15 | 15 | 148 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 8.3 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 18.5 | 0 |
| 2021 | Essendon | 2 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 85 | 46 | 131 | 31 | 23 | 316 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 10.0 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 24.3 | 4 |
| 2022 | Essendon | 2 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 140 | 74 | 214 | 35 | 33 | 523 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 6.4 | 3.4 | 9.7 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 23.8 | 1 |
| 2023 | Essendon | 2 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 101 | 53 | 154 | 37 | 28 | 282 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 7.2 | 3.8 | 11.0 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 20.1 | 0 |
| Career | 57 | 25 | 27 | 372 | 193 | 565 | 118 | 99 | 1269 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 6.5 | 3.4 | 9.9 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 22.3 | 5 | ||
Notes