James Worpel

Australian rules footballer

Australian rules footballer
James Worpel
Worpel playing for Hawthorn in August 2018
Personal information
Nickname(s) Worpedo
Date of birth (1999-01-24) 24 January 1999 (age 25)
Original team(s) Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 45, 2017 national draft
Debut Round 6, 2018, Hawthorn vs. St Kilda, at University of Tasmania Stadium
Height 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 86 kg (190 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Hawthorn
Number 5
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2018– Hawthorn 108 (41)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 6, 2024.
Career highlights
  • Peter Crimmins Medal: 2019
  • 22under22 team: 2019
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

James Worpel (born 24 January 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early career

One of nine siblings growing up in the regional town of Bannockburn near Geelong, James was the second youngest and grew up with three other football obsessed brothers. An early developer James was selected at centre half back in the 2014 U/15 All Australian team.[1] He also attended school at Western Heights College located in Geelong

Worpel spent two years developing his craft in the TAC with the Geelong Falcons. Worpel is a fierce competitor that goes in to win hard ball.[2]

A natural leader he was appointed co-captain of the Falcons for the 2017 year. He would later lead the side to the premiership. He was captain of the Victoria Country team in the 2017 AFL Under 18 Championships and was later rewarded with being selected in the U/18 All-Australian team.[2]

AFL career

Worpel was drafted by Hawthorn with their first selection and forty-fifth overall in the 2017 AFL draft. He made his AFL debut in the thirty-five point win against St Kilda at the University of Tasmania Stadium in round six of the 2018 season.[3][4] He played three games before getting dropped. Back in the side for round 18 against Carlton, he put in an impressive four match performance for Worpel became Hawthorn’s second Rising Star nominee for the 2018 season.[5]

2019 season

During the 2019 pre-season Worpel was given the number 5 guernsey that had been vacated due to Ryan Burton having been traded to Port Adelaide.[6] Worpel wore number 38 for his debut season.[7]

Worpel was picked for round one, and managed to play every game for the season. He set a league record for most disposals for a player under twenty years of age. Ultimately he was voted the best player for Hawthorn for the season, collecting the Peter Crimmins Medal,[8] becoming the youngest winner of that record since Leigh Matthews won it in 1971.[9] Worpel is considered a protégé of Senior Coach and former Hawthorn player Sam Mitchell.[7][10]

In 2020 Worpel missed the last two games of the season when he injured of his right acromioclavicular (AC) joint against Western Bulldogs that required surgery to stabilise the joint.[11]

Statistics

Updated to the end of round 6, 2024.[12]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2018 Hawthorn 38 11 5 5 95 98 193 23 43 0.5 0.5 8.6 8.9 17.5 2.1 3.9 0
2019 Hawthorn 5 22 9 8 309 275 584 72 107 0.4 0.4 14.0 12.5 26.5 3.3 4.9 10
2020[a] Hawthorn 5 15 2 7 167 120 287 39 81 0.1 0.5 11.1 8.0 19.1 2.6 5.4 0
2021 Hawthorn 5 20 10 8 232 194 426 54 82 0.5 0.4 11.6 9.7 21.3 2.7 4.1 0
2022 Hawthorn 5 11 3 2 86 83 169 20 24 0.3 0.2 7.8 7.5 15.4 1.8 2.2 0
2023 Hawthorn 5 23 10 9 286 314 600 52 92 0.4 0.4 12.4 13.7 26.1 2.3 4.0 11
2024 Hawthorn 5 6 2 2 74 64 138 13 27 0.3 0.3 12.3 10.7 23.0 2.2 4.5
Career 108 41 41 1249 1148 2397 273 456 0.4 0.4 11.6 10.6 22.2 2.5 4.2 21

Notes

  1. ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Decorated U18 star does it by the numbers".
  2. ^ a b "James Worpel".
  3. ^ "Worpel's wait is over". hawthornfc.com.au. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  4. ^ "James Worpel proves elusive". 28 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Worpel, a future star".
  6. ^ "Worpel signs on". Hawthorn Football Club. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b McClure, Sam (27 April 2019). "On the Worpel path: The master and the apprentice". The Age. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Worpel crowned Peter Crimmins Medallist".
  9. ^ Black, Sarah (6 October 2019). "Youngest since 'Lethal': Tough midfielder named top Hawk". Australian Football League. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Complacency not a worry for Worps". Hawthorn Football Club. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Worps returns to Melbourne for surgery".
  12. ^ "James Worpel". AFL Tables. Retrieved 29 April 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Worpel.
  • James Worpel's profile on the official website of the Hawthorn Football Club
  • James Worpel's playing statistics from AFL Tables
  • v
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  • e
Hawthorn Football Club – current squad
  • Coach: Sa. Mitchell

* denotes rookie listed players

  • v
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  • e
Peter Crimmins Medal • Hawthorn Football Club best and fairest winners
  • v
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  • e
Italics denote winner
  • v
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  • e
First round
Second round
Third round
Fourth round
Fifth round
Sixth round