Delisted Stephen Wrigley (2012-2013)

[Grimreepah]

Pick 22 in the 2011 Rookie Draft

Summary:

* orthapediatrician (#23)
* selection in State game (#53)
* 2012 review (#80)

 

[Jorgo]

 

[dlanod]

The Brisbane Lions' write-up:

Defender Steven Wrigley joins the Lions' with Pick 22. He took out Labrador's Best & Fairest award in 2011 and also earned a place in the NEAFL Team of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is now the third former Labrador player on the Lions' 2012 playing list alongside Claye Beams and Bryce Retzlaff.

 

[Grimreepah]

Permission to train list

Brisbane

Justin Clarke (Booleroo Melrose Wilmington), Scott Clarke (Western Magpies) Sam Michael (Redland Bombers), Steven Wrigley (Labrador).

 

[Fatcat08]

I had no idea he was a ranger, could have started his roster thread as soon as he hit the permission to train list Grim. Any comments on him from our NEAFL/QAFL watchers?

Geez in the top photo he's a bloody close match for a young Damien Hardwick!

 

[Grimreepah]

STEVE WRIGLEY WINS LABRADOR B&F AWARD

Steve Wrigley has won a photo finish to claim the Labrador Tigers B&F. Wrigley polled 83 votes to sneak home from Matt Jones (82) and Todd Grayson (81) and cap a stellar second season at Cooke-Murphy Oval.
The versatile defender had finished runner-up to Mathew Clarke in the Labrador B&F in his first season with the club last year after heading north from Blackburn in Melbourne’s Eastern Football League.
He also won a spot in the 2011 NEAL Northern Conference Team of the Year after doing likewise in the 2010 QAFL yet strangely he did not poll a vote in the 2011 Grogan Medal.

 

[Grimreepah]

Queensland State Team of the Year 2010

B:      [B][COLOR="Red"]Steve Wrigley[/COLOR][/B]    Kurt Niklaus     Adam Tarrant
HB:     Jake Furfaro     Aaron Rogers     Brett Goodes
C:      Mat Clarke       Damien Bonney    Darren Pfeiffer
HF:     Cameron Ilett    Bryce Retzlaff   Claye Beams
F:      Dayne Zorko      Cleve Hughes     Tim Notting
R:      Jacob Gough      Danny Wise (c)   Phil Carse
INT:    Scott Clouston   Jason Howard     Dean Page
        Matt Shir        Zephi Skinner

NEAFL Team Of The Year 2011

[B]B:[/B]      Nathan Kinch      Gavin Grose      Caleb Brown  
[B]HB:[/B]     Robbie Copeland   Shaun Tapp       [COLOR=Red][B]Steve Wrigley[/B][/COLOR]
[B]C:[/B]      Kallen Geary      Cameron Ilett    Ryan Davey
[B]HF:     [/B]Albert Proud      Kent Abey        Micah Buchanan[B]
F:[/B]      Ross Tungatalum   Darren Ewing     Chris Smith
[B]R:[/B]      Kenrick Tyrrell   Matthew Payne    Dayne Zorko 
[B]INT:[/B]    Paul Shelton      Matt Jones       Amon Buchanan
        Jacob Gilbee      Scott Clouston

 

[Grimreepah]

2011 NAB AFL Draft Combines – State

Medium Defenders
Melbourne:

Stephen Wrigley
Club: Labrador
Age: 24
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 75 kg

 

[Grimreepah]

Rob Kerr

“Steve Wrigley has had two very good years in the QAFL/NEAFL, winning Labrador’s Best & Fairest this year after finishing Runner-Up in 2010. He has good skills and is a clean user of the ball. He is a relatively late-bloomer, who has only recently decided to really focus on becoming an AFL footballer. Since moving to Queensland a couple of years ago, he has really elevated his standing.”

PICK NO.22 - STEVE WRIGLEY
Recruited From: Labrador, QLD
Position: Medium Defender
Height: 187cm
Weight: 73kg
DOB: 18/4/1987

Rob Kerr

"He's a remarkable story. A couple of years ago he was playing seconds football for Blackburn in Melbourne, then he moved to Queensland, joined Labrador, was second in their B&F in 2010 and won it this year. He's a clean ball handler, got very good kicking skills either side of his body, plays at half back and is a nice medium height. We think he can play defence or push up to a wing. He's 24 and it's just reward for some strong football at the state league level."

 

[Grimreepah]

Meet the rookies
2:26 PM Tue 13 Dec, 2011

• Stephen Wrigley started more as a social footballer, playing with friends at Blackburn in Melbourne’s Eastern Football League, before really deciding to focus on developing himself into a potential AFL footballer.

• He moved to Queensland at the end of 2009 and joined QAFL side Labrador. In his first season with the Tigers in 2010, he finished Runner-Up in their Best & Fairest award and was named in the QAFL Team of the Year.

• He improved further in 2011, and polled 83 votes to win Labrador’s Best & Fairest Award. Wrigley was also named in the NEAFL Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.

• Despite being a relative late-bloomer, he was invited to attend the 2011 AFL Draft Combine where he impressed Lions recruiters. He was eventually invited to train with the club at the beginning of their 2012 pre-season campaign.

• He now becomes the third former Labrador player on the Lions’ 2012 playing list alongside Claye Beams and Bryce Retzlaff.

 

[Grimreepah]

60 Seconds with Stephen Wrigley

Nick Name: Wrigs

Number: 9

Previous Clubs: Blackburn FC/ MHSOBFC

Position: HBF/HFF

How long have you been at the Tigers: 2nd Year

Best thing about the club: Mateship

Best memory during time at the Club: Finals Series Last Year

Which AFL team do you support: Geelong

Weirdest thing you own: Cuff links from school

What 3 famous people would you invite to dinner?: Charlize Theron, Steve Jobs, Chris Judd

What 3 Items would you take to a deserted island?: Boat, Food, Gun

Prediction for 2011 AFL premiership: Collingwood

Prediction for 2011 Brownlow Medal: Bryce Gibbs

What dish would you serve up if you were on Master Chef: Red Thai Curry

Where is the furthest you have been from home?: USA

What is the oldest item in your wardrobe that you still wear?: Jr Footy Shorts

What is the last concert you went to?: Karnivool

 

[chopperduck]

Whoever is coaching the 2nds side next year will be happy with our off season. As a medium defender he could probably push his way into the senior team if his form is good enough.

 

[Grimreepah]

Video: Lions Welcome New Rookies

Dean Warren - "... and also Steve Wrigley who has been an outstanding player for Labrador over the last couple years. He's a mature age rookie, at age 24, but a very good user of the footy, very quick. He's a dashing half-back flanker. He'll add a lot of class and a lot of flexibility to our defence."

Stephen Wrigley - "Yeah mate I was pretty excited. It's a big relief to have it all out the way. There's a fair bit of waiting around, but knew we were in the mix. So once I got a call from the guys at the Lions I was certainly rapt with the news."

 

[Blackdog32]

Reminding you of a transcript i just found when googling. Black booker alright. I saw this game in 2010. It is worth getting a tape of if available. Wrigley was outstanding and obviously went into someones black book...

AFLQ

vs Labrador

Retzlaff’s running power has troubled the best defenders in the League this season but Wrigley ran with him every step of the way and didn’t allow him any easy ball.

Retzy looked a bit sluggish yesterday - end of a long season, perhaps - but his opponent, Wrigley, was absolutely outstanding. Could be a black book job.

Edit: Should add, for the benefit of TBD and others: he's a RANGA!

 

[Ironmonger]

24 years old, 187 cm and just 73 kgs.

I reckon he'll need to bulk up a bit before getting elevated. Otherwise he might get snapped in half.

 

[Judge]

24 years old, 187 cm and just 73 kgs.

I reckon he'll need to bulk up a bit before getting elevated. Otherwise he might get snapped in half.

Sorry Tom but I'd take that weight estimate with a grain of salt, 73kg is lightweight for a schoolboy. I'd be surprised if at his height and age he's not closer to 80kg.

He doesn't look like a twig to me, looking forward to seeing him go around in the NAB Cup.

 

[Ironmonger]

Sorry Tom but I'd take that weight estimate with a grain of salt, 73kg is lightweight for a schoolboy. I'd be surprised if at his height and age he's not closer to 80kg.

He doesn't look like a twig to me, looking forward to seeing him go around in the NAB Cup.

Yeah, it doesn't seem believable, does it?

 

[Quigley]

At state camp he weighed in at 73.3kgs with skin folds of 32.3mm which were the second lowest of those tested.

 

[Grimreepah]

Improvement drives new rookies
Jackie Chan
1:10 PM Thu 15 Dec, 2011

Meanwhile, running defender Steve Wrigley saw his recruitment as an exciting opportunity to learn from his new team-mates and coaches to help improve his own game.

“There are some big names at the Club like Browny, Blacky, the whole Leadership Group and Vossy. There is a lot of footy knowledge that we can take, learn and develop into our game plan.”

Wrigley, who won NEAFL club Labrador’s Best and Fairest award, was also looking forward to bulking up on his relatively light 73 kg frame in preparation for the new season.

“Obviously I need to put on a little bit more size and get a little bit bigger in the gym, and I’m sure there’s plenty of hard work in front of me doing that.”

 

[Old Den]

The old saying...it's not the dog in the fight that counts it's the fight in the dog.

To wit...Premiership small defender Dean Laidley known as the junkyard dog at 184 cm and playing weight 77 kg.

 

[chopperduck]

Was going to say, probably plays as if he is 85kg. When these types of players hit a full time environment and pre season they usually stack any weight they need on pretty quickly though.

 

[Lace Out]

On the Juicy Fruit bandwagon too..maybe.

Will only take 12 months to sort this out.

 

[Grimreepah]

Out on a limb
Emma Quayle
December 18, 2011 - 11:05PM

STEVE Wrigley showed enough as a 14-year-old to spend time in an Oakleigh Chargers development squad. He remembers one of the first things the boys were told — that only a few would make it to an AFL club — and the message did not prove particularly motivating.

"I was a bit shy, and I looked at all the other guys and thought, 'well, I'm not going to be in that group'," said the 24-year-old, who was cut from the last 75. "I didn't really enjoy it. I wasn't mature enough to cope with people criticising me, and the fact that it was always so serious."

That's not to say he wasn't a focused kid. Wrigley couldn't decide whether to be a physiotherapist or a carpenter when he finished school, so he combined the two and began studying prosthetics and orthotics. That's what took him to Brisbane — first for a two-month work placement in 2009, then for a full-time job the following year.

Brisbane Lions Rookie Steve Wrigley working with prosthetics at the Mater Hospital.

 

[Grimreepah]

Number 48

Wrigley has an opportunity to make history in the Number 48 which has been worn most at the Club by Fitzroy’s Ken Hinkley (11 games). Interestingly, former Lions full-back Mal Michael holds the all-time AFL record for most matches played in the Number 48 - wearing it in 61 matches with Collingwood from 1996-2000.

photo courtesy of Jorgo

 

[Grimreepah]

Out on a limb
By Michael Whiting
12:18 PM Tue 20 Dec, 2011

Wrigley lives in Brisbane, but said making the 70km drive down the Pacific Motorway to training was something he had enjoyed doing.

"The Lions didn't contact me too much until just before the draft," he said.

"It was always my hope that I'd get picked up by Brisbane, because it's a good club and it's where I'm living and I'm really quite settled up here.

Wrigley said although his focus was now on making the best fist he could of footy, he would still work when he could.

"I know there's opportunities for guys to study so I don't see it as a problem to do a few hours of work a week to keep my hand in," he said.

"I've spoken to my boss about that and he's quite comfortable and more than happy to be flexible. He'll give me stuff to do where I'm not using grinders or drills or things where I could cut my hand off."