Gavin Urquhart will become the first Rockhampton product to play AFL football on Saturday night when he makes his debut for the North Melbourne Kangaroos.
Ironically, 20-year-old Urquhart, a classy 18cm midfielder/defender, will get his first taste of League football in Brisbane against the Lions.
He got his chance via selection tonight after being an emergency for the Roos’ last-gasp win over the Western Bulldogs last Sunday and will replace the injured Daniel Wells.
Urquhart's selection is the final step down a journey which, after a promising junior career that included some time in Toowoomba and played the majority of his junior football with the Glenmore Bulls in Rockhampton. Gavins AFL career kicked into full swing when he moved to Brisbane to further his football in 2005.
A member of the AIS/AFL U17 Academy squad in 2006 noted for his excellent kicking skills and ability to read the game, Urquhart represented Queensland at U18 level in 2005-06, and was a member of the Morningside AFL Queensland State League grand final side in ’06.
He was claimed by North Melbourne at No.21 in the 2006 AFL National Draft, and after some ongoing injury problems in 2007 he has been in consistently good form with North Ballarat, the Roos VFL affiliate club.
Urquhart, whose father Jim is employed at AFL Queensland in Brisbane after a previous stint in Rockhampton, will be the 10th member of Queensland’s record-breaking draft group of 18 from 2006 to make his AFL debut.
He follows his 2006 Queensland U18 captain Albert Proud (Brisbane Lions), State U18 teammates David Armitage (St.Kilda), Ricky Petterd (Melbourne), Kurt Tippett (Adelaide), Shaun Hampson (Carlton) and Jesse White (Sydney) and Daniel Dzufer (Brisbane Lions), plus Cairns product Jarrod Harbrow (Western Bulldogs) and ex-Toowoomba junior Brad Howard (St.Kilda).
Paul O’Shea, another Rockhampton product drafted in 2006 after a stint with AFLQ club Redland, is still working for his chance at AFL level with the Western Bulldogs.
Other members of that star-studded group of 11 draftees and seven rookies who are still waiting for their first opportunity at AFL level are draftees Brent Renouf (Hawthorn) and Ben Warren (North Melbourne), and rookies Scott Clouston, Joel Tippett and Haydn Kiel (Brisbane Lions), Gavin Grose (Port Adelaide) and Chris Smith (Fremantle).
Last Modified on 30/05/2008 15:39