Gryan Miers

Gryan Miers (born 30 March 1999) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Geelong in the Australian Football League (AFL). A small forward, he played in the TAC Cup before he was recruited by Geelong with pick 57 in the 2017 national draft. Miers debuted in the opening round of the 2019 season and was nominated for the AFL Rising Star award in round 8.

Gryan Miers
Miers playing for Geelong in April 2019
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-03-30) 30 March 1999
Original team(s) Grovedale (GFL)
Draft No. 57, 2017 national draft
Debut Round 1, 2019, Geelong
vs. Collingwood, at the MCG
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 78 kg (172 lb)
Position(s) Small forward
Club information
Current club Geelong
Number 32
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2019– Geelong 46 (47)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2020.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Junior career

Miers played junior football for St Mary's[1] and Grovedale before representing the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup.[2] In their victorious 2017 season, he kicked a league-high 50 goals, including a haul of seven in the grand final against the Sandringham Dragons, when he was named best on ground. Miers was also named in the competition's team of the year, averaging 17 disposals and four tackles from his 17 matches. He represented Vic Country in four matches at the 2017 AFL Under 18 Championships as a midfielder, averaging 18 disposals and five marks.[3]

Miers' agility, pressure and crumbing ability were strengths in his junior career,[4] but his kicking was identified as a deficiency.[4][5] He was named as "one of AFL's next big cult heroes" by Fox Sports for his dreadlocks, unusual name, football ability and confidence in important matches.[1] Miers was predicted to be drafted in the second or third rounds of the 2017 AFL national draft by ESPN,[4] and in "second-round — possible first-round — calculations" by Fox Sports.[1]

AFL career

Miers was selected by Geelong with pick 57 in the 2017 national draft.[6] He spent his first season in the Victorian Football League (VFL), playing all 20 matches and averaging one goal per game. In 2019, Miers debuted in the opening round of the season against Collingwood. He was nominated for the AFL Rising Star award in round 8, after amassing 22 possessions and kicking one goal against North Melbourne; up to that point he had played every match.[7] An analysis by AFL.com.au reporter Callum Twomey identified him as a "key factor in the Cats' place atop the ladder", along with fellow recruit Luke Dahlhaus.[8] In June, Miers signed a contract extension with Geelong to the end of 2021.[9]

Statistics
Statistics are correct to the end of the 2020 season [10]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2019 Geelong 3225281922915638598481.10.89.26.215.43.91.9
2020[lower-alpha 1] Geelong 32211961889728593330.90.39.04.613.64.41.6
Career 46 47 25 417 253 670 191 81 1.0 0.5 9.1 5.5 14.6 4.2 1.8

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.

Personal life

During his childhood, Miers supported the Brisbane Lions. His father, David Miers, is a biomechanist who was listed with Collingwood in the 1980s and founded XBlades, a footwear company.[1]

References
  1. Waterworth, Ben (22 November 2017). "AFL draft 2017: Gryan Miers looms as one of AFL's next big cult heroes". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  2. Masenhelder, Trent. "Patience pays off for Cats cult hero". SEN 1116. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  3. "AFL Draft Watch – Gryan Miers". nableague.com.au. AFL Victoria. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  4. Doerre, Christopher (27 September 2017). "Knightmare's Draft Wrap: Gryan Miers' stock rises after TAC Cup GF". ESPN. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  5. Di Pietro, Kavisha (15 May 2019). "Geelong rising star's point of difference". AFLPlayers. AFL Players' Association. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  6. Balmer, Matt (28 April 2019). "AFL 2019: Geelong forward Gryan Miers praises Gary Ablett's influence in breakout season". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  7. Collins, Ben (13 May 2019). "Life of Gryan: Dreadlocked Cat the latest Rising Star". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  8. Twomey, Callum (6 May 2019). "The two new Cats taking Geelong to the top". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  9. Oates, Stacey (5 June 2019). "Two young stars sign on". geelongcats.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  10. Gryan Miers' player profile at AFL Tables
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