James Strauss (footballer)

James Allan Strauss (born 14 June 1990) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League.

James Strauss
Personal information
Full name James Allan Strauss
Date of birth (1990-06-14) 14 June 1990
Original team(s) Oakleigh Chargers
Draft #19, 2008 National Draft
Debut Round 1, 2010, Melbourne vs. Hawthorn, at MCG, Melbourne
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2009–2014 Melbourne 24 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2014.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Strauss was selected with Melbourne's third pick of the 2008 AFL Draft, 19th overall from the Oakleigh Chargers.

Junior career

Strauss's junior career was spent playing for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup and for Scotch College in the Associated Public Schools in Victoria.

AFL career

2009: Recurring injuries

Strauss had a frustrating season with injuries in 2009. Ankle and leg problems hampered him early in the year and he ultimately injured his shoulder playing for Melbourne's VFL-affiliate, the Casey Scorpions. Strauss required a shoulder reconstruction, forcing him to miss the last eight weeks of the season.[1]

2010: Debut

Strauss improved his physical frame and worked hard to return to full fitness in the pre-season of the 2010 season to ensure he was pushing for senior selection. This work saw Strauss seen as a good chance to debut in round 1 against Hawthorn Football Club.[2] Strauss's first official game for Melbourne did indeed occur in round 1 of the 2010 season against the Hawthorn at the MCG. However this match was a devastating loss for the Demons. Strauss played in Melbourne's second game of the season against Collingwood, however he was then dropped to Melbourne's VFL-affiliate team Casey, due to poor form.

2011–2014

In Melbourne's round 20, 2011 match against Carlton, Strauss suffered a sickening leg injury where it was broken in both his tibia and fibula during a marking contest against Carlton's Jeff Garlett. Although replays showed that there was minimal contact between him and Garlett as he fell awkwardly, the MCG crowd were shocked at what they saw. Commentators noted that it was just as sickening as the recent broken leg suffered by Fremantle's Michael Barlow the previous season and the broken snap suffered by Richmond's Nathan Brown way back in 2005, and during Network Ten's coverage of the match their commentators warned their viewers that "if you're a bit queasy, look away now".[3]

Two years later, in the Demons' 13-point loss to Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium Strauss copped a boot to the face by Suns defender Campbell Brown; for this incident, Brown was suspended for four weeks, and was later sacked by the club following an off-season incident in the United States.[4]

Strauss was delisted at the conclusion of the 2014 AFL season after struggling to break into the senior side.[5]

Post-AFL career

After being delisted by the Demons, Strauss was hopeful of getting another opportunity with a different AFL club.[6] However, he was unsuccessful in this goal and ultimately joined Old Scotch in the Victorian Amateur Football Association for the 2015 season.[7] In 2016, Strauss signed for VAFA Premier division club St Kevin's Old Boys, linking up with former Demons teammates Rohan Bail and Jordan Gysberts.

Statistics
Statistics are correct to the end of the 2014 season[8]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2009 Melbourne190——————————————
2010 Melbourne472009716640.00.04.53.5832
2011 Melbourne47900674911618260.00.07.42.112.922.9
2012 Melbourne1970130477714190.00.14.36.71122.7
2013 Melbourne1961037215817110.20.06.23.59.72.81.8
2014 Melbourne190——————————————
Career 24 1 1 143 124 267 55 60 0 0 6 5.2 11.2 2.3 2.5

References
  1. "James Strauss Official Player Profile". Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  2. Jim Stynes rallies troops
  3. James Strauss Broken Leg – Melbourne vs Carlton, Round 20, 2011 – YouTube
  4. Tribunal challenge fails, Brown out for four weeks, AFL.com.au official website, 13 August 2013
  5. "Blease, Strauss delisted by Demons". Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  6. Landesberger, Sam (5 October 2014). "James Strauss just wants another chance to impress as uncontracted Demon seeks AFL lifeline". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  7. Cavanagh, Chris (24 February 2015). "Former Melbourne pair James Strauss and Michael Evans sign on with Old Scotch in VAFA". Progress Leader. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  8. "James Strauss statistics". AFL Tables.
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