Australian rules footballer
| Charlie Ballard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Nickname(s) | Chook | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-07-23) 23 July 1999 (age 25) | ||
| Original team(s) | Sturt (SANFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 42, 2017 national draft | ||
| Debut | 5 May 2018, Gold Coast vs. Western Bulldogs, at Mars Stadium | ||
| Height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Tall defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gold Coast | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2018- | Gold Coast | 133 (3) | |
| Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Charlie Ballard (born 23 July 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Early life
Charlie participated in the Auskick program at Mitcham, South Australia.
Ballard played in their under-18 premiership for the Sturt Football Club in the SANFL as well as for Sacred Heart College. Standing 180cm at the time, Ballard averaged 18 disposals on the wing in the 2017 AFL Under 18 Championships, playing for South Australia. He ran 3.05 seconds in the 20 m (66 ft) sprint at the AFL Draft Combine, and was touted as a top-30 selection at the 2017 AFL draft.
AFL career
Ballard was selected by Gold Coast with pick 42, their 3rd-round selection.
He made his AFL debut in round 7 of the 2018 season, in the nine-point loss against the Western Bulldogs at Mars Stadium. He kicked one goal on debut. Ballard's first game was praised by coach Stuart Dew, along with fellow debutant Brayden Crossley.
Ballard played his 100th game in 2023. Following a successful 2024 season with the Suns, he signed a contract extension until the end of 2029.
Statistics
- Statistics are correct to the end of 2024
| G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
| B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2018 | Gold Coast | 31 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 79 | 34 | 113 | 39 | 15 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 7.2 | 3.1 | 10.3 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0 |
| 2019 | Gold Coast | 10 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 211 | 63 | 274 | 111 | 23 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Gold Coast | 10 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 44 | 158 | 68 | 13 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 2.8 | 9.9 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2021 | Gold Coast | 10 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 227 | 61 | 288 | 140 | 25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.8 | 2.9 | 13.7 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 3 |
| 2022 | Gold Coast | 10 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 177 | 49 | 226 | 109 | 22 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 1.7 | 0 |
| 2023 | Gold Coast | 10 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 230 | 63 | 293 | 142 | 29 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 2.7 | 12.7 | 6.2 | 1.3 | 0 |
| 2024 | Gold Coast | 10 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 184 | 94 | 278 | 111 | 28 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 4.1 | 12.1 | 4.8 | 1.2 | |
| Career | 133 | 3 | 4 | 1222 | 408 | 1630 | 720 | 155 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.2 | 3.1 | 12.3 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 3 | ||
Notes
- 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.
References
- AFL Record. Round 9, 2022. pg 78
- Abbracciavento, Daniela (5 August 2017). "Sturt under-18 player Charlie Ballard is one of SA's top AFL draft picks". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- Twomey, Callum. "Late bloomer looms as draft tall order". afl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- "Charlie Ballard". goldcoastfc.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- Black, Sarah. "Five talking points: Western Bulldogs v Gold Coast". afl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- Black, Sarah. "Sparkling debutants can add polish Suns need". afl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- "'I love the place': Suns lock away another piece of backline puzzle". afl.com.au. 17 September 2024.
- "Charlie Ballard". AFL Tables. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
External links
- Charlie Ballard's profile on the official website of the Gold Coast Football Club
- Charlie Ballard at AustralianFootball.com
- Charlie Ballard's playing statistics from AFL Tables
| Gold Coast Suns – current squad | |
|---|---|
* denotes rookie listed players |