Bryce Gibbs (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Bryce Gibbs is an Australian rules football
er who plays for the Carlton Football Club
in the Australian Football League
from 2007. He is the son of former SANFL and WAFL
player Ross Gibbs
.
award, despite spending part of the season playing SANFL reserve grade. That year he also captained the South Australian under 16s team at the national championships.
In Round 7 of the 2005 season, at age 16, he debuted in Glenelg's League team and was a regular until the end of the 2006 season. Playing as a teenager against grown men in the SANFL, Gibbs excelled, coming third in the Club's 2006 best and fairest, and dominating recent ex-AFL players during the season.
He featured prominently in the 2006 under-18 national championships where he was captain of South Australia. He was selected as the All-Australian ruck rover and was adjudged South Australia's Most Valuable Player. He also co-captained the Australian youth side against an Irish youth side in an international tournament in Australia in 2006.
Gibbs attended Brighton Secondary School
, where he sat his SACE
in 2006.
under the Father-Son Rule
, much to the Crows' chagrin, because his father had not yet played 200 of those games before the Adelaide Crows
entered the Australian Football League
in 1991.
When Essendon
and Carlton met in Round 16 of 2006, the sides were firmly entrenched at the bottom of the ladder, with Carlton having lost its last seven games and Essendon a club-record fourteen. Speculation that the result would decide the wooden spoon (and hence the first draft pick) led to the game jokingly being dubbed the "Bryce Gibbs Cup" by some in the media. Humorously, the match was a draw.
Carlton ultimately finished last, and subsequently selected Gibbs with the first overall pick in the 2006 AFL Draft
(held on 25 November 2006). He was given the No. 4 guernsey, formerly worn by club champion and administrator (and later, president), Stephen Kernahan
, who was also close friend and former Glenelg teammate of Gibbs' father.
He made his debut in round one against Richmond
and kicked a goal with his first kick
while becoming the 1100th player to play for Carlton. 17 disposals at 100 percent efficiency and a great shut-down role on Brownlow Medal
list Jason Akermanis
in Round 10 earned Gibbs his nomination for the NAB Rising Star award.
Gibbs played every game of the 2007 season and kicked five goals. Most of his development and experience has been in the backline where he has played as a half back flanker.
In 2008, new coach Brett Ratten
reduced the size of the leadership group, and Gibbs was excluded from the new group. Gibbs played games as both an attacking midfielder and as a tagger throughout the season, playing very well in both roles. As a tagger, he convincingly beat several top-class opponents, including Chad Cornes
(nine disposals), Heath Shaw
(six disposals) and Adam Goodes
, whom he held to seven disposals while collecting 26 of his own. In the midfield, he showed strong team ethic, very accurate disposal by foot, strong tackling, and very good football smarts and awareness. He collected seven Brownlow votes during the season and finished 5th in the club Best and Fairest.
In 2009, Gibbs began playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, and much less as a tagger. He finished the season with a total of 615 disposals (averaging 26.7) which was ranked ninth in the league, and polled 15 votes in the Brownlow Medal to finish equal ninth, and finished third in the club Best and Fairest.
In 2010, Gibbs began to divide his time between the midfield and the half-back line, playing as a rebounding defender. In Round 10, his 45 disposals tied Greg Williams' efforts as the most by a Carlton player in a single game (since records were kept in 1984). Gibbs finished fourth in the club Best and Fairest for 2010.
In 2011, Gibbs celebrated his 100 games for Carlton against Brisbane Lions.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who plays for the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
from 2007. He is the son of former SANFL and WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
player Ross Gibbs
Ross Gibbs
Ross Gibbs is a former Australian rules footballer who played for West Perth in the West Australian Football League and Glenelg in the South Australian National Football League ....
.
Pre-AFL
Gibbs was an exceptional youth talent, which led to much speculation about his ultimate AFL drafting. In 2004 he won Glenelg's Under 17s Best and FairestBest and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
award, despite spending part of the season playing SANFL reserve grade. That year he also captained the South Australian under 16s team at the national championships.
In Round 7 of the 2005 season, at age 16, he debuted in Glenelg's League team and was a regular until the end of the 2006 season. Playing as a teenager against grown men in the SANFL, Gibbs excelled, coming third in the Club's 2006 best and fairest, and dominating recent ex-AFL players during the season.
He featured prominently in the 2006 under-18 national championships where he was captain of South Australia. He was selected as the All-Australian ruck rover and was adjudged South Australia's Most Valuable Player. He also co-captained the Australian youth side against an Irish youth side in an international tournament in Australia in 2006.
Gibbs attended Brighton Secondary School
Brighton Secondary School
Brighton Secondary School resides in Brighton, a beach suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. The school provides secondary education from year 8 to 12, with programs in music and volleyball...
, where he sat his SACE
South Australian Certificate of Education
The South Australian Certificate of Education is awarded to students who have successfully completed their senior secondary schooling in the state of South Australia....
in 2006.
Recruitment
Speculation that Gibbs would be the No. 1 draft pick began early in the 2006 season. Although his father's career with Glenelg spanned 253 games, Gibbs was ineligible to be taken by the Adelaide CrowsAdelaide Crows
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....
under the Father-Son Rule
Father-son rule
The father-son rule is a rule that allows clubs to select the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team in Australian rules football, most notably the Australian Football League...
, much to the Crows' chagrin, because his father had not yet played 200 of those games before the Adelaide Crows
Adelaide Crows
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....
entered the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
in 1991.
When Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and Carlton met in Round 16 of 2006, the sides were firmly entrenched at the bottom of the ladder, with Carlton having lost its last seven games and Essendon a club-record fourteen. Speculation that the result would decide the wooden spoon (and hence the first draft pick) led to the game jokingly being dubbed the "Bryce Gibbs Cup" by some in the media. Humorously, the match was a draw.
Carlton ultimately finished last, and subsequently selected Gibbs with the first overall pick in the 2006 AFL Draft
2006 AFL Draft
The 2006 AFL Draft is a recent national draft of the Australian Football League. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League....
(held on 25 November 2006). He was given the No. 4 guernsey, formerly worn by club champion and administrator (and later, president), Stephen Kernahan
Stephen Kernahan
Stephen Scott Kernahan is a former Australian rules footballer best known for his career with the Carlton Football Club of the Australian Football League and the Glenelg Football Club of the SANFL from 1981 until 1997...
, who was also close friend and former Glenelg teammate of Gibbs' father.
AFL career
Gibbs was named in Carlton's leadership group for the 2007 AFL season without having played a single AFL match, which is the first time in history this has happened.He made his debut in round one against Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and kicked a goal with his first kick
First kick - first goal (Australian rules football)
The following is a list of Australian rules footballers who kicked a goal with their first kick in the Australian Football League.-Six goals from first six kicks:*Clen Denning, , Round 4, 1935-Four goals from first four kicks:*Richard Lounder, , Round 5, 1989...
while becoming the 1100th player to play for Carlton. 17 disposals at 100 percent efficiency and a great shut-down role on Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
list Jason Akermanis
Jason Akermanis
Jason Dean Akermanis is an Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs...
in Round 10 earned Gibbs his nomination for the NAB Rising Star award.
Gibbs played every game of the 2007 season and kicked five goals. Most of his development and experience has been in the backline where he has played as a half back flanker.
In 2008, new coach Brett Ratten
Brett Ratten
Brett "Ratts" Ratten is a former Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League....
reduced the size of the leadership group, and Gibbs was excluded from the new group. Gibbs played games as both an attacking midfielder and as a tagger throughout the season, playing very well in both roles. As a tagger, he convincingly beat several top-class opponents, including Chad Cornes
Chad Cornes
Chad Studley Cornes is a Australian rules footballer, who is contracted to play for Greater Western Sydney in 2012, in the Australian Football League...
(nine disposals), Heath Shaw
Heath Shaw
Heath Shaw is an Australian rules footballer playing for Collingwood in the Australian Football League-AFL career:...
(six disposals) and Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes is a professional Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League ....
, whom he held to seven disposals while collecting 26 of his own. In the midfield, he showed strong team ethic, very accurate disposal by foot, strong tackling, and very good football smarts and awareness. He collected seven Brownlow votes during the season and finished 5th in the club Best and Fairest.
In 2009, Gibbs began playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, and much less as a tagger. He finished the season with a total of 615 disposals (averaging 26.7) which was ranked ninth in the league, and polled 15 votes in the Brownlow Medal to finish equal ninth, and finished third in the club Best and Fairest.
In 2010, Gibbs began to divide his time between the midfield and the half-back line, playing as a rebounding defender. In Round 10, his 45 disposals tied Greg Williams' efforts as the most by a Carlton player in a single game (since records were kept in 1984). Gibbs finished fourth in the club Best and Fairest for 2010.
In 2011, Gibbs celebrated his 100 games for Carlton against Brisbane Lions.
Outside football
- Gibbs, along with team-mate Nick StevensNick StevensNick Stevens is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Originally from St Marys in the VMFL, Stevens was recruited in the 1997 AFL Draft to the Port Adelaide Football Club where he became a very prominent outside midfielder...
appeared in the popular Australian drama, NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
in October 2008. - He represented South Australia in volleyball.