Retired Ashley McGrath (2000-2014)

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I thought he'd been good down back up until last night.
 
200th coming up against the Cats next week and the 19th indigenous player to reach the milestone and underrated one to do so.

For many years, Ash's place in the side and/or very own future at the club has divided many a opinion round these parts, but nonetheless he has been a great club stalwart coming to the club at the commencement of the 2001 season. Whilst he only played in the one premiership side, it must have been an amazing time to join the club and witness first hand the history that unfolded over the following three seasons.

I'd be lying if talk surrounding a return to WA didn't crop up come contract time, but I've always been a fan and glad he stuck fat with the club over the course of his 13 years when he would have known that the club was in for a tough period following the 01-04 seasons, as was the case for a lot of guys who stayed true.

With a bit of luck and/or Chrissie Johnson influence, hopefully the Marngrook Footy Show do a feature on the somewhat mystical Ash McGrath.
 

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Dylan12 said:
200th coming up against the Cats next week and the 19th indigenous player to reach the milestone and underrated one to do so.

For many years, Ash's place in the side and/or very own future at the club has divided many a opinion round these parts, but nonetheless he has been a great club stalwart coming to the club at the commencement of the 2001 season. Whilst he only played in the one premiership side, it must have been an amazing time to join the club and witness first hand the history that unfolded over the following three seasons.

I'd be lying if talk surrounding a return to WA didn't crop up come contract time, but I've always been a fan and glad he stuck fat with the club over the course of his 13 years when he would have known that the club was in for a tough period following the 01-04 seasons, as was the case for a lot of guys who stayed true.

With a bit of luck and/or Chrissie Johnson influence, hopefully the Marngrook Footy Show do a feature on the somewhat mystical Ash McGrath.
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I have always been a fan as well! Very talented footballer who can do a great job as a small backman or small forward. Congratulations on the 200th Ash!
 
Congrats on the up coming 200th Ash.

But Please… stay away from Cal Bartlett’s birthday cake on Wednesday or them Gabba halls might be filled with the sounds of Oh Ahh – skin folds – McGrath!

/end-of-roast. :thumbsu:
 
A double celebration

Fans will have an opportunity to help celebrate two significant milestones from a couple of the Club’s favourite sons when the Lions host Geelong at the Gabba this Sunday evening. Simon Black is set to make his first appearance back home at the Gabba since becoming Brisbane’s games record-holder, while veteran ‘swingman’ Ash McGrath will line-up for his 200th AFL match.

McGrath, meanwhile, will become just the 10th player in the Lions’ merged history to reach the ‘double ton’ and will be hoping to make it a memorable milestone by overcoming the second-placed Cats.
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More footy left in McGrath
20 June 2013
Michael Whiting

THE BRISBANE Lions are on the right track says veteran utility Ash McGrath, who believes he has two or three years of good footy left to help them to the promised land. McGrath will run out for game number 200 against Geelong on Sunday as one of only three players left from the Lions' 2003 premiership team.

McGrath said the re-signings of Matthew Leuenberger and Dayne Zorko – with Rich and Pearce Hanley expected to follow sooner rather than later – shows the Lions are heading in a unified direction. He is contracted until the end of 2014 and thinks he still has plenty of good football left in him. "I feel like I've got another two or three years left in me so it'll come down to the direction the club's going and if the coaches see me still in the team," he said. "If I play the following year (2015) I'll be 32 and we'll see where the mind is mentally and the body is physically.

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I know a few round here would hate the idea of Ash kicking on beyond this year, let alone any longer.

I personally don't see him not being at the Lions next year and that is quite fine with me, but beyond that, you'd have to reassess the situation about this time next year.

Well done on the milestone Ash.:thumbsu:
 
McGrath’s double century
20 June 2013
Sam Lord

He might not be widely held in the same esteem as many of his former premiership teammates, but Ash McGrath’s longevity in the game will see him rightly go down as one of the Lions’ greats.

A total of 1,402 players have played a senior match throughout the Club’s combined 127-year history (including Fitzroy and the Bears) – 149 of which have played in 100 or more games. But only 26 – which accounts for less than 2% of the total players – have managed to reach 200 games.

McGrath will join this incredibly exclusive group this Sunday when he lines up for his 200th match against Geelong at the Gabba. He also joins rare company as just the 10th player to reach 200 games with the Lions since the 1997 merger.

The 30-year-old already holds the honour of playing more games than any other player throughout the Club's history in the Number 9 guernsey – ahead of former Fitzroy Captain and two-time Best and Fairest Matthew Rendell (164 games) and goal-kicking star Jim Freake (135 games).

McGrath’s performances in recent seasons also suggest that he’s far from being finished. It could even be argued that he’s been in career best form over the past four campaigns. So while he’s yet to claim the Club’s highest individual honour, his contribution at both ends of the field is widely recognised and valued by his team.

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Pretty impressive stats in the grand scheme of things.
 
Veteran Ash McGrath says Brisbane Lions can upset Geelong
20 June 2013
Greg Davis

MILESTONE man Ash McGrath insists Brisbane can cause the boilover of the 2013 AFL season and beat Geelong at the Gabba on Sunday. McGrath will play his 200th senior match for the Lions in the clash with the Cats and believes he will have an extra reason for celebration on Sunday night. He said Brisbane's loss to Fremantle last Saturday was a lot closer than the final 40-point margin suggested.

McGrath said the 2003 Grand Final and the finals campaign in 2009 ranked as the highlights of his 13 years in the AFL system. "A lot of people when I got drafted wouldn't thought I'd make it to 100 but to make it is a massive milestone and I'm proud to have played 200 games for the same club,'' he said.

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A lot of people on here seem to bag Ash a lot but at the end of the day he is a talented player who has achieved a lot in his time with the club and he has been loyal despite many temptations no doubt to return home to WA. Congratulations on the 200 games Ash! You will always be one of my favourite players:thumbsu:
 
lionshine said:
A lot of people on here seem to bag Ash a lot but at the end of the day he is a talented player who has achieved a lot in his time with the club and he has been loyal despite many temptations no doubt to return home to WA. Congratulations on the 200 games Ash! You will always be one of my favourite players:thumbsu:
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Yeah, I was one that called for his head a season or two ago, glad he was kept on and very glad he has made his 200. Good on you Ash!
 

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Ash burning weight for milestone
20 June 2013
Greg Davis

NOBODY is more surprised than Ash McGrath that he will bring up his 200th senior AFL match on Sunday when Brisbane host Geelong.

Amid the trials, tribulations and triumphs of 13 years at the top level, along with the ever-present battle with skinfold tests, the South Fremantle product is still standing. "I've surprised myself every now and then that I've played 13 years. I count myself pretty fortunate that I'm still in the game," McGrath said. "When I got drafted, a lot of people wouldn't have thought I'd make it to 100, but to make 200 is a massive milestone and I'm proud to have played for the same club.
"It (battle with his weight) comes down to what you put in your mouth. I can stack it on pretty quick it's a constant battle. It's about doing the little things during the week and being diligent at home."

He is contracted until the end of next season. "I feel like I've got another two or three years left in me. It just comes down to the direction of the club and if the coaches see me still in the team," he said.
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When he looks back on his career this will probably be his fondest individual moment. Amazing fairytale for a milestone game.
 
Has been so underrated has our Ash....whenever our premiership players are mentioned re retiring or still playing, it is ALWAYS only Simon and JB mentioned.....never Ash.

A quiet achiever. Huge congratulations and love to you Ash:hearts:
 
GingerGreatness said:
Clutch. :thumbsu:
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Now is not the time for me to discuss the club going automatic with the maturity and experience of the future - This post is about the moment that all footballers must dream of - shooting the bullet as a result of team's firing pin that included the primers - Merrett, Yeo, Black, Patfull, Adcock and Zorko!

Well done Ash and congratulations on a remarkable 200th game! :thumbsu:
 
McGrath seals famous win
23 June 2013
Michael Whiting

ASHLEY McGrath has completed a fairytale Brisbane Lions comeback win with a goal after the siren lifting them to a remarkable five-point victory over Geelong at the Gabba. In his 200th career game, McGrath took a mark on the 50m arc with just seconds remaining. The 30-year-old then coolly went back and slotted the winner after the siren.

"It's a boyhood dream, everyone does it when they're a small kid," McGrath said in the jubilant Lions dressing room post-match. "You always dream of kicking the winning goal to get your team over the line. It's just a surreal feeling at the moment."

Lions coach Michael Voss was confident the ball was in good hands. "If you're going to have a 52m shot for goal, Ash would be one of the guys I'd pick," Voss said.

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Help from above
24 June 2013
Michael Whiting

ASH McGrath thought his match-winning goal against Geelong was going to hit the post until it got some help from above on Sunday night.

McGrath lived out his boyhood dream by calmly nailing the winner from outside the 50m arc after the final siren. To add to the fairytale script, it was McGrath's 200th game. "It's a boyhood dream. Everyone does it when they're a small kid, kicking into goals or kicking through a gate," McGrath said.

"You always dream of kicking the winning goal to get your team over the line. It's just a surreal feeling at the moment. "I was lucky it went through. The ball didn't come off that well. "I thought it was going to hit the post. Full moon, I think my old man up there must have pushed it through."

McGrath said he only faintly heard the siren over the cheers of 24,164 raucous fans. "You can take as much time as you want, but I thought I'd just go through the process and don't hang around too long and think about it," McGrath said. "The crowd was as loud as I've heard it at the Gabba over my 13 years. "It's a boyhood dream. You do it a lot when you're growing up out in the paddock. I finally got a chance, it's taken 200 games … I'll hand it over to someone else next time."

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