Brodie Grundy

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Brodie Grundy

| image = Brodie Grundy 2017.2.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| caption = Grundy playing for Collingwood in March 2017

| fullname = Brodie Grundy

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|04|15|df=y}}

| birth_place = Adelaide, South Australia

| originalteam = Sturt (SANFL)

| draftpick = No. 18, 2012 AFL Draft, {{AFL Col}}

| height = 203 cm

| weight = 108 kg

| position = Ruck

| currentclub = {{AFL Syd}}

| guernsey = 4

| years1 = 2013–2022

| club1 = {{AFL Col}}

| games_goals1 = 177 (60)

| years2 = 2023

| club2 = {{AFL Mel}}

| games_goals2 = {{0}}17 (10)

| years3 = 2024–

| club3 = {{AFL Syd}}

| games_goals3 = {{0}}32 {{0}}(2)

| games_goalstotal = 226 (72)

| statsend = round 6, 2025

| sooyears1 = 2020

| sooteam1 = All Stars

| soogames_goals1 = 1 (0)

| careerhighlights =

}}

Brodie Grundy (born 15 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was previously an All-Australian and best-and-fairest winner with {{AFL Col}}, having been selected with the 18th draft pick in the 2012 AFL draft, as well as a player for {{AFL Mel}}.

Early life and junior football

Grundy was born in Adelaide, South Australia and attended Cabra Dominican College, a private Catholic high school in the southern suburbs of the city, graduating in 2011.{{citation|url= http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/numbers-add-up-for-brodie-grundy/story-e6freckc-1226514353543|title=Numbers add up for Brodie Grundy|date=10 November 2014|access-date=28 March 2014|work=Adelaide Now}} A former basketball player, Grundy switched to Australian rules football in 2010. A premiership player for the Unley Jets Football club in the Under 16.5's 2010 Grand Final win over Edwardstown.{{cite news|last=Walsh|first=Courtney|title=Experience counts for little as Brodie Grundy eyes September|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/experience-counts-for-little-as-brodie-grundy-eyes-september/story-fnca0u4y-1226693061306|access-date=20 August 2013|newspaper=The Australian|date=8 August 2013}}

Brodie has a younger brother, Riley, who was drafted to Port Adelaide with pick 73 in the 2018 draft.{{Cite web|url=https://www.afldraftcentral.com.au/tag/riley-grundy/ |title=Tag: riley grundy |website=AFL Draft Central}}

AFL career

=Collingwood=

Following a successful season playing as a ruckman with South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club Sturt's junior teams, Grundy was recruited by Collingwood with draft pick #18 in the 2012 AFL Draft.

Grundy was the Round 22 nomination for the 2013 AFL Rising Star award.{{cite news|last=Guthrie|first=Ben|title=Young Pie Grundy a rising star nominee|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-27/different-cat-rising-fast|publisher=BigPond|work=AFL.com.au|date=27 August 2013}}

In March 2014, Grundy signed a three-year contract extension lasting until the end of the 2017 AFL season.{{cite news|last=Chiarelli|first=Simon|title=Grundy recommits until 2017|url=http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2014-03-19/grundy-recommits-until-2017|publisher=BigPond|work=collingwoodfc.com.au|date=19 March 2014}}

In 2018 he won the Herald Sun Player of the Year award with 27 votes, one clear of Melbourne ruck Max Gawn and Hawthorn midfielder Tom Mitchell. Grundy also won the Copeland medal for Collingwood's best and fairest in 2018, drawing with Steele Sidebottom.{{cite tweet |author=Herald Sun Sport |user=heraldsunsport |number=1033661582453166080 |date=27 August 2018 |title=Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy has stormed home to win this year's @theheraldsun player of the year award. |access-date=27 August 2018 }}

After another All-Australian season in 2019, Grundy signed a seven-year, $1 million per-year deal with Collingwood.{{cite web|title=Brodie Grundy re-signs for seven|url=https://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/554056/brodie-grundy-re-signs-for-seven|date=17 January 2020|accessdate=11 October 2022|work=Collingwood FC}} However, Grundy struggled to recapture his All-Australian form in subsequent years, with his salary criticised by some media figures.{{cite web|title=Star Magpie's big money deal an 'issue' amid salary cap crunch, 'accountability' questioned|url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/star-magpies-big-money-deal-an-issue-amid-salary-cap-crunch-accountability-questioned/news-story/57175ebae3a75ef73def66a4e96bd8af|first=Catherine|last=Healey|date=17 April 2022|accessdate=11 October 2022|work=Fox Sports}}

=Melbourne=

At the end of the 2022 AFL season, Collingwood traded Grundy to Melbourne for salary cap relief.{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/dream-of-being-a-pie-for-life-ends-for-new-demon-brodie-grundy-20221011-p5boyw.html|title=Dream of being 'a Pie for life' ends for new Demon Brodie Grundy|first1=Peter|last1=Ryan|first2=Michael|last2=Gleeson|newspaper=The Age|date=11 October 2022}}

During the 2023 season, Grundy was often used by Melbourne as a forward in efforts to be able to play him and Max Gawn in the same lineup, a role Grundy, as a ruck, was unfamiliar and dissatisfied with. In the latter half of the year he was dropped to the VFL to play with the Casey Demons and was not selected in either of Melbourne's finals games.

=Sydney Swans=

Grundy sought a trade to the Sydney Swans at the conclusion of the season, despite only being in the first year of a five-year contract at the Demons. He was traded on 11 October.{{citetweet|user=AFLHouse|number=1711976230273368531|date=11 October 2023|title=Trade paperwork approved. The Sydney Swans trade its Round Three pick (46) and its Future Round Two pick to Melbourne for Brodie Grundy.}}

Playing style

Despite playing as ruckman, Grundy is able to follow up his ruckwork and win the ball himself and apply tackles. He has been labelled as a ‘fourth midfielder’ by his teammates.{{cn|date=October 2018}} In the 2018 season, he averaged 20.2 disposals per match; 525 for the season (48th in the AFL), easily the highest amongst ruckmen.{{cn|date=October 2018}}

Personal life

In December 2020, Grundy graduated from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Health Sciences.{{cite web|url=https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/announcements/2020/grundy-graduates-from-la-trobe|title=Grundy graduates from La Trobe|publisher=La Trobe University|date=10 December 2020}}

Statistics

Updated to the end of 2023.{{cite web|title=Brodie Grundy statistics|url=http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/B/Brodie_Grundy.html|publisher=AFL Tables|access-date=21 September 2021}}

| 2013 || {{AFL Col}} || 35

| 7 || 1 || 3 || 35 || 53 || 88 || 18 || 22 || 151 || 0.1 || 0.4 || 5.0 || 7.6 || 12.6 || 2.6 || 3.1 || 21.6 || 0

| 2014 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 15 || 3 || 8 || 73 || 79 || 152 || 36 || 51 || 272 || 0.2 || 0.5 || 4.9 || 5.3 || 10.1 || 2.4 || 3.4 || 18.1 || 0

| 2015 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 19 || 8 || 3 || 156 || 137 || 293 || 66 || 85 || 462 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 8.2 || 7.2 || 15.4 || 3.5 || 4.5 || 24.3 || 0

| 2016 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 21 || 11 || 8 || 190 || 197 || 387 || 81 || 92 || 548 || 0.5 || 0.4 || 9.0 || 9.4 || 18.4 || 3.9 || 4.4 || 26.1 || 7

| 2017 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 20 || 4 || 5 || 166 || 202 || 368 || 73 || 78 || 714 || 0.2 || 0.3 || 8.3 || 10.1 || 18.4 || 3.7 || 3.9 || 35.7 || 2

| 2018 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 26 || 9 || 8 || 206 || 319 || 525 || 92 || 134 || 1038 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 7.9 || 12.3 || 20.2 || 3.5 || 5.2 || 39.9 || 17

| 2019 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 24 || 7 || 11 || 237 || 274 || 511 || 105 || 104 || style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" | 1022^† || 0.3 || 0.5 || 9.9 || 11.4 || 21.3 || 4.4 || 4.3 || 42.6 || 23

| 2020{{efn|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.}} || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 19 || 3 || 3 || 105 || 168 || 273 || 57 || 68 || style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" | 593^† || 0.2 || 0.2 || 5.5 || 8.8 || 14.4 || 3.0 || 3.6 ||31.3||6

| 2021 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 20 || 12 || 6 || 185 || 197 || 382 || 72 || 84 || 647 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 9.3 || 9.9 || 19.1 || 3.6 || 4.2 || style="background:#CAE1FF; width:1em" | 32.4^† || 9

| 2022 || {{AFL Col}} || 4

| 6 || 2 || 0 || 53 || 48 || 101 || 15 || 23 || 182 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 8.8 || 8.0 || 16.8 || 2.5 || 3.8 || 30.3 || 1

| 2023 || {{AFL Mel}} || 6

| 17 || 10 || 4 || 100 || 143 || 243 || 46 || 49 || 349 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 5.8 || 8.4 || 14.3 || 2.7 || 2.9 || 20.5 || 0

|- class=sortbottom

! colspan=3 | Career

! 194 !! 70 !! 59 !! 1506 !! 1817 !! 3323 !! 661 !! 790 !! 5978 !! 0.4 !! 0.3 !! 7.8 !! 9.3 !! 17.1 !! 3.4 !! 4.1 !! 30.8 !! 65

Notes