Player Profiles - Northwind Team Canada - GameDay

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AFL Canada / Northwind Team Canada

Player Profiles

#1 Neil Casey

Club: High Park Demons, ON

#2 Spence Nebel

Club: Catani, EDFL

#3 – James Duggan

Club: Fairpark Lions/ Toronto Dingos
Northwind Debut: 2014
Home city: Toronto
Current city: Melbourne
Preferred position: Midfield, half-forward, halfback

James moved to Canada from Melbourne when he was 7 and started playing footy for the Toronto Dingos as a 16-year-old in 2008. He played in the 2014 International Cup and 2015 49th Parallel Cup. After his best season in 2016, he moved to Melbourne in early 2017 and is playing in the Eastern Football League.

#4 Nathan Singh

Club: Calgary Kangaroos, AB

#5 Ronan Shaughnessy

Club: Quebec/Ottawa Swans, QC/ON

#6 Matt Ryan

Club: Calgary Kangaroos, AB

#7 Adam Nash

Club: Fitzroy Stars, NFL

#8 Nathan Strom

Club: Ottawa Swans, ON

#9 Justen Oertel

Club: Elmore Bloods, VIC

#10 – Giancarlo Brancati

Footy club: Burnaby Eagles
Northwind Debut: 2017
Home City: Coquitlam, British Columbia
Current City: Port Moody, British Columbia
Preferred Position: Halfback

Giancarlo played any sport time would allow while growing up. His main focus was soccer, where he played at the varsity level. It was on a backpacking trip to Australia that Giancarlo was introduced to Aussie rules football and hasn't looked back since.

He played his first game in 2010 with the Burnaby Eagles and won the Coaches' Award that year. The Eagles won the premiership in 2011 and in 2015 Giancarlo was named to the Burnaby Eagles Team of the Decade. He is looking forward to the challenge of his first International Cup.

#11 – Alexandre Huard

Club: Ottawa Swans
Northwind debut: 2015 against the US
Home city: Ottawa
Current city: Ottawa
Preferred position: Midfield

Alexandre lived in Ottawa his whole life, played hockey, soccer, pretty much ass sports growing up but never competitively. A friend of his said one day, "you should try Aussie rules" as she knew I would like the running and big hits. Four years later, he is still playing.

#12 – Kyle Graham

Footy Club: Montreal Demons
Northwind Debut: 2011
Home City: Montreal, Quebec
Current City: Montreal, Quebec
Preferred Position: Full Forward

AFL Honours:

2016 Team of the Year, AFL Quebec
2015 Team of the Year, AFL Quebec
2011 Northwind Leading Goal Kicker, International Cup 2011
2011 Best and Fairest Canadian, AFL Quebec

Kyle has always loved a variety of sports, which led him to a career in physical education. Starting at five-years-old he excelled at soccer. In his youth he played at the elite club level in Canada and then captained McGill University in his early 20s. Soon after he decided to teach physical education abroad in London, England. There he spent time playing soccer semi-professionally in the Ryman league with Dulwich Hamlet Football Club.

At the end of the 2009 soccer season in London, Kyle's New Zealand friend asked him to try Australian Football. This turned out to be the start of an exciting new chapter in his life. That summer Kyle played for the Dulwich Dragons Australian Football Club until he decided to return home to Montreal, Quebec, ready for the next school year. Soon after his return, an Australian buddy living in Montreal heard about his time with the Dragons and asked him for a kick. A kick in the park that turned into so much more.

Kyle started playing with AFL Quebec in 2010, and it was only a few months after when he was approached by the Canadian Northwind Men's National Team. He feels privileged to be with the program for the past seven years.

Within AFL Quebec, Kyle is a senior member of the Montreal Demons Australian Football Club where he enjoys training and mentoring new players to help grow the league. In addition, he also plays for the Ottawa Swans, Quebec Saints (provincial team) and Eastern Thurnder (eastern Canada team).

Kyle's been training hard and is looking forward to joining his Northwind teammates in Melbourne to bring home the cup.

#13 Ewan Williams

Club: Central Blues, ON

#14 Jacob Martin

Club: Grand River Gargoyles, ON

#15 Steve Rutledge

Club: Central Blues, ON

#16 Paul Caspers

Club: Edmonton Wombats, AB

#17 Read Konrad

Club: Vancouver Cougars, BC

#18 Quinn Hobbs

Club: Elmore Bloods, VIC

#19 – Eric Klein

Club:Burnaby Eagles

Hometown: Niagara Falls

Current: Vancouver

Northwind Debut: 2017

Highlights:

Being named vice captain to the development squad (London footy Carnival 2017)
Winning 2016 Canadian nationals as part of team BC

Eric comes from a soccer and volleyball background but loved the skills and pace of the game so he took to the sport and it has been my focus and passion since 2014.

He is honoured to represent the country and really proud to be doing it as a Burnaby Eagle.

"It is the best Canadian program in the country and I wouldn't have this chance if it wasn't for the players and coaches there," he said.

#20 Clayton Lund

Club: Delta Bayhawks, BC

#21 Garret Reynolds

Club: High Park Demons, ON

#22 Patrick Bossey

Club: Toronto Dingos, ON

#22 – Nick Liang

Club: Hamilton Wildcats

Northwind debut: 2015

Position: Rover/centre

After playing football and soccer for 15 years, Nick decided to change things up. After some convincing from a co-worker, whose husband played for the Hamilton Wildcats, he decided to give footy a try.

After playing his first season he had honour to represent Canada in his first year at the 2015 49th Parallel Cup and hasn't looked back.

#23 Aiden MCQuiod

Club: Grand River Gargoyles, ON

#24 Morgan Turner

Club: North London Lions, UK

#25 Sean Kennedy

Club: Toronto Eagles, ON

#26 Andy Yardy

Club: Calgary Kangaroos, AB

#29 Matthia Singh

Club: Calgary Kangaroos, AB

#33 – Ryan McNabb

Guernsey number: 33

DOB: April 6, 1991
Club: Toronto Eagles
International Cups: 2017
Preferred position: Centre halfback

Ryan "Danger" McNabb started playing footy eight years ago when Aussie X came to his school.

Danger says his greatest footy experience so far has been the solid run for the flag he had with the Toronto Eagles in 2015.

"We ended up losing in the Grand Final but the excitement that built with each passing round was awesome," he said.

#38 Justin Settle

Club: Fitzroy Stars, VIC

#47 – Greg Bridges

Guernsey number: 47

DOB: June 10, 1993
Club: Ottawa Swans
First club: Halifax Dockers
International Cups: 2017
Preferred position: Forward

Greg Bridges will lace up for his boots for his Northwind debut when he lines up in the forward line this International Cup.

Bridges has been playing footy for four years after he picked up the sport in Halifax after being introduced by a roommate. He began playing with the Swans when he returned home to Ottawa.

Bridges says making the national team has been among his career highlights, along with winning a premiership and kicking his first goal.

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