Ashley McGrath
Encyclopedia
Ashley Vernon McGrath is an indigenous Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

.

Selected in the 2000 AFL Draft
2000 AFL Draft
The 2000 AFL Draft was the annual draft of talented Australian rules football players by teams that participate in the Australian Football League. It consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and a rookie elevation....

 with the thirteenth pick overall, the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...

 recruited the talented forward, where he made his AFL debut late in 2001. He continued to establish himself in the side and by 2003, was a regular member, being part of the Lions' third straight AFL premiership.

In 2005 he found more opportunities up forward with the retirement of other forwards Craig McRae
Craig McRae
Craig McRae is a former Australian rules footballer.Originally from South Australian National Football League club Glenelg, McRae was drafted by AFL club Brisbane as the 22nd pick in the 1994 draft and had an immediate impact, kicking two goals in his first game in 1995, and played every game of...

 and Alastair Lynch
Alastair Lynch
Alastair Graeme Lynch is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League . He is best known as a three time premiership full-forward for the Brisbane Lions....

.

McGrath has two brothers who also played in the AFL, Toby
Toby McGrath
Toby Jason McGrath is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing for South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League...

 and Cory
Cory McGrath
Cory McGrath is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the Carlton and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League , South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League , South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League and the Northern...

.

During periods of the 2008 season, McGrath was trialed as a rebounding half back flanker with varying degrees of success.

McGrath's 2009 season was of two halves. His first half of the season was smeared with poor performances and ineffective disposals. But after the mid-season break, McGrath had a career-best game where he had 30 disposals against Geelong in Round 15. He then went on to play the remainder of the season averaging more than 20 disposals a game.

McGrath is also a cousin with former AFL player Dion Woods
Dion Woods
Dion Woods is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle in the Australian Football League between 2001 and 2005....

.

External links

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