Liam Patrick

Liam Patrick
Personal information
Nickname(s) The Flash,[1]
Lajamanu Lightning Bolt
Date of birth (1988-03-04) 4 March 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Lajamanu, Northern Territory
Original team(s) Wanderers (NTFL)
Draft Zone Selection, Gold Coast
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 71.9 kg (159 lb)
Position(s) Forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011–2013 Gold Coast 13 (6)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2013.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Liam Patrick (born 4 March 1988) is an Australian rules footballer who was picked up by Gold Coast as a zone selection after the 2009 National Draft.[2] He made his debut against Essendon[3] in round 6 of 2011 season.

Early life

Patrick was born in Lajamanu, Northern Territory into an Indigenous family and is the second eldest of three children. Upon moving to the Gold Coast at the end of 2009 at the age of 21 he left behind his girlfriend and son to chase his dream of becoming an AFL player.

Junior Football

Patrick began playing junior football at the Lajamanu Football Club who compete in the Katherine District Football League. After being a part of the premiership winning team at the Lajamanu Swans in 2008 he began playing for the Wanderers Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League in 2009. Despite not being drafted in the 2009 AFL draft he was signed by the Gold Coast Football Club as a zone selection and competed in the 2010 VFL season for the newly formed club.[4] He finished the 2010 season with 9 goals from 9 games and proved enough to be a part of the inaugural AFL season for the Gold Coast.

AFL career

Patrick made his AFL debut in round 6 of the 2011 AFL season. In his second game for the Gold Coast he kicked two goals in the Suns victory over the Brisbane Lions in the first QClash. He would only manage one more AFL game for the year and spent the rest of the 2011 season in the reserves. His 2012 season also began in the reserves but after a mid-season trip home to Lajamanu Patrick would play in 8 consecutive games for the Suns before a hamstring injury ended his season. In October 2012 he was offered a one-year extension at the Gold Coast Suns.

References

  1. ^ Stannard, Damien (21 July 2012). "Trip home that sparked Flash". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Gold Coast sign Liam Patrick, Liam Jurrah's cousin, ahead of rookie draft". Fox Sports. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  3. ^ Morris, Grey (12 May 2011), "Livewire Liam rises to the big occasion", Northern Territory News
  4. ^ Carafa, Tim (11 December 2009). "Gold Coast sign Liam Patrick, Liam Jurrah's cousin, ahead of rookie draft". Courier Mail. Retrieved 18 October 2012.