Liam Stocker

Liam Stocker (born 23 January 2000[2]) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited with the 19th overall selection in the 2018 National Draft and was the first player to be drafted via a 'live trade'. Liam is from Victoria, and played for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup before being picked to represent Vic Metro at the 2018 AFL Under 18 Championships.

Liam Stocker
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-01-23) 23 January 2000
Place of birth New South Wales
Original team(s) Sandringham Dragons
Draft #19, 2018 National Draft
Debut 5 May 2019, Carlton
vs. North Melbourne, at Marvel Stadium
Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Position(s) Inside Midfielder[1]
Club information
Current club Carlton
Number 13
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2019- Carlton 5 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2019 season.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life and junior career

Liam was born in New South Wales, Australia. His family moved to Beijing, China when Liam was 4 after his dad was given a job opportunity. Liam lived there until moving back to Australia at Sandringham, Victoria when he was 10.[3] He completed his schooling in 2017 at Haileybury College[4].

Liam played for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup. In 2018, he had a standout season, averaging 22 disposals, 13 contested possessions, and 5 clearances. What stood out to a lot of people was his endurance, professionalism and ability to kick the ball well on both feet.[5] He was awarded the Morrish Medal, the best and fairest award for the TAC Cup, but sustained a jaw injury which saw him miss being able to play in the AFL Under 18 Championships[6]. Nevertheless, he was still chosen by Vic Metro as one of their top prospects for the draft. A shoulder injury struck again and he missed the combine, leading him to admit that he 'had plans to TAC Cup footy next year'.[3]

AFL career

Liam Stocker was selected at #19 of the 2018 National draft. His recruitment made national headlines as he was the first player to be picked using the new live trade system. Carlton, who seemingly weren't going to have any picks until night 2, made a trade with the Adelaide Crows which also saw the teams swap next year's first round picks. Instantly, pressure was mounted onto Stocker's debut season, as for the trade to be seen as a success in many journalists' eyes, Carlton must at least 14th (they were 18th, or last the year before) in the 2019 season.

Carlton coach Brendon Bolton backed Stocker, though, and questioned why 'he wasn't picked earlier'. He was presented his guernsey by Chris Judd and was given the number 13 [7]. Liam would make his debut in round 7 of the 2019 season [8], in a loss to North Melbourne.

After a successful debut season playing 5 games and averaging 14 disposals, Liam was given a 3-year contract keeping him at the club until 2022. [9]

Player Profile

An inside midfielder, Stocker's main qualities are his frame and his knack for getting the ball out of contests. Adept at kicking the ball on both feet, Stocker is also a scoreboard threat, using his versatility to attack the opposition around most of the playing area. Averaging 4 tackles in the TAC Cup and 5 clearances, he showed his grunt useful on the inside of contests along with his class on the outside.[1]

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gollark: yes.
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gollark: Tux1 = dog confirmed.
gollark: I didn't actually distort it at all, yes.

References
  1. "Pick 19: Liam Stocker". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  2. "Liam Stocker". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  3. "Stocker's surprise delight". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  4. https://www.haileybury.com.au/news_and_events/news/haileybury-afl-draft-success
  5. "Tomorrow's Heroes: Inside mid who dominated TAC Cup". Australian Football League. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  6. "Liam Stocker". Blueseum - History of the Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  7. "AFL draft 2018: Liam Stocker Carlton, live trade with Adelaide". Fox Sports. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  8. "Stocker to debut". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  9. "Blues Stock up for another three". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
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