- Joined
- Sep 26, 2003
- Posts
- 4,929
- Reaction score
- 724
- Location
- TJBC
- AFL Club
- Geelong
- Other Teams
- TDot, LFC
Everywhere man Byrne finally feels at home
17 July 2004
Herald Sun
Emily Power
Crash and Byrne: James Byrne flies over Demon James McDonald during his time at the Crows.
JAMES Byrne's passion for football has taken him to almost every corner of the nation.
The 26-year-old former Adelaide Crow has played in four states, under some of the game's biggest names.
Now making an impact with Geelong's VFL affiliate after travelling thousands of kilometres and collecting enough guernseys to fill a wardrobe, the boy from Wagga finally feels that he has peaked.
"I'm really starting to find my feet on and off the field. I'm playing the best footy of my life," he said.
Byrne, a former captain of the Assumption College football team and a national U-16 All-Australian, entered the 1995 national draft as a 17-year-old pursuing a childhood dream.
The NSW Teal Cup player spoke to about 10 clubs but, to his frustration, was overlooked.
"I went to the draft camp and more or less didn't get picked up because everyone said I was slow and soft, and that was garbage," he said.
"It got in the back of my mind that maybe I am, but I knew I wasn't."
After doing a pre-season with St Kilda in 1997, Byrne was selected for Sydney's supplementary list, and was elevated to the rookie list in 1998.
"My footy might have went stale at Sydney, so I finished there and ended up doing a pre-season with the Western Bulldogs," he said.
Then, encouraged by Adelaide legend and family friend Tony McGuinness, Byrne joined Glenelg in the SANFL as a 20-year-old.
Despite breaking his wrist and missing the last half of the 1999 season, Byrne impressed former Crows coach Gary Ayres, and was selected at No. 4 in the pre-season draft.
"It was unbelievable," Byrne said. "It was the accumulation of all the hard work, the tears of not getting drafted, the disappointment and confusion of people saying various things and me thinking I was never going to get there. But I always had in the back of my mind that I was going to do it."
Byrne played 24 games for the Crows, lining up on the wing, on the ball, and tagging the likes of Fremantle's Peter Bell, before being delisted at the end of the 2001 season.
"It was hard to crack a spot on-ball with the likes of (Andrew) McLeod, (Mark) Ricciuto and (Kane) Johnson," Byrne said.
He captained Glenelg in 2002, won the best-and-fairest and represented South Australia in State-of-Origin, but the next year he was playing in Western Australia.
He won another best-and-fairest, this time at South Fremantle, before job prospects lured him to Geelong.
Now working for a financial planning firm, Byrne credits his family, Geelong coach Ron Watt, and McGuinness for spurring him through the harsh realities of elite footy.
"A really big part of my game is the mental side of things," he said. "Never taking no as an answer, and it's filtered out into my personal life, and my work, and my relationships. It's helped me grow and become a lot more responsible and determined guy."
17 July 2004
Herald Sun
Emily Power
Crash and Byrne: James Byrne flies over Demon James McDonald during his time at the Crows.
JAMES Byrne's passion for football has taken him to almost every corner of the nation.
The 26-year-old former Adelaide Crow has played in four states, under some of the game's biggest names.
Now making an impact with Geelong's VFL affiliate after travelling thousands of kilometres and collecting enough guernseys to fill a wardrobe, the boy from Wagga finally feels that he has peaked.
"I'm really starting to find my feet on and off the field. I'm playing the best footy of my life," he said.
Byrne, a former captain of the Assumption College football team and a national U-16 All-Australian, entered the 1995 national draft as a 17-year-old pursuing a childhood dream.
The NSW Teal Cup player spoke to about 10 clubs but, to his frustration, was overlooked.
"I went to the draft camp and more or less didn't get picked up because everyone said I was slow and soft, and that was garbage," he said.
"It got in the back of my mind that maybe I am, but I knew I wasn't."
After doing a pre-season with St Kilda in 1997, Byrne was selected for Sydney's supplementary list, and was elevated to the rookie list in 1998.
"My footy might have went stale at Sydney, so I finished there and ended up doing a pre-season with the Western Bulldogs," he said.
Then, encouraged by Adelaide legend and family friend Tony McGuinness, Byrne joined Glenelg in the SANFL as a 20-year-old.
Despite breaking his wrist and missing the last half of the 1999 season, Byrne impressed former Crows coach Gary Ayres, and was selected at No. 4 in the pre-season draft.
"It was unbelievable," Byrne said. "It was the accumulation of all the hard work, the tears of not getting drafted, the disappointment and confusion of people saying various things and me thinking I was never going to get there. But I always had in the back of my mind that I was going to do it."
Byrne played 24 games for the Crows, lining up on the wing, on the ball, and tagging the likes of Fremantle's Peter Bell, before being delisted at the end of the 2001 season.
"It was hard to crack a spot on-ball with the likes of (Andrew) McLeod, (Mark) Ricciuto and (Kane) Johnson," Byrne said.
He captained Glenelg in 2002, won the best-and-fairest and represented South Australia in State-of-Origin, but the next year he was playing in Western Australia.
He won another best-and-fairest, this time at South Fremantle, before job prospects lured him to Geelong.
Now working for a financial planning firm, Byrne credits his family, Geelong coach Ron Watt, and McGuinness for spurring him through the harsh realities of elite footy.
"A really big part of my game is the mental side of things," he said. "Never taking no as an answer, and it's filtered out into my personal life, and my work, and my relationships. It's helped me grow and become a lot more responsible and determined guy."
