WHEN CRABS FLY
THE Suns have broken the glass in case of emergency and brought in young defender Caleb Graham to fill the void left by co-captain Jarrod Witts in the ruck for Gold Coast’s Round 4 AFL clash with Carlton. Graham, a key defender affectionately known as “Crab” by teammates, has been named on the bench for Saturday’s clash at Metricon Stadium but is expected to start in the ruck against the Blues.
The Palm Beach Currumbin QAFL premiership player spent time in the position as an under-age player and has been backed by Suns coach Stuart Dew to get the job done.
BEING handed the ruck duties at AFL level isn’t a role Suns academy graduate Caleb Graham would have thought he’d receive but the towering defender will look to draw on experience from his junior football career at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
The absence of captain Jarrod Witts through a serious knee injury has forced the Suns to get creative with their ruck options, with the 20year-old Graham expected to be thrown in the mix by coach Stuart Dew against Carlton.
Known by his teammates as “Crab”, the Cairns product won’t be daunted by the challenges
in just his 11th senior game, having shown adaptability right throughout his young career.
A North Queensland boy born and bred; Graham’s football journey began as a five-year-old for the North Cairns Tigers before switching allegiances to the Cairns Saints prior to joining the Suns academy as a teenager.
Upon relocating with his family to the Gold Coast, Graham attended Palm Beach Currumbin State High School and was a member of the school’s AFL Excellence program.
He showed there he was
bound for big things, earning key roles in both the QAFL with Palm Beach Currumbin Lions and in the NEAFL with the Suns.
Less than two weeks after his 18th birthday, he was already a two-time QAFL premiership winner.
Graham quickly became known for his versatility and ability to get the job done at both ends of the ground.
Not only did he kick a goal in his two QAFL grand final appearances, the then 17year-old found himself going toe-to-toe with former Sydney Swans, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs champion
Barry Hall in the 2017 decider.
Hall kicked just the two goals as the Lions prevailed by 53 points with Graham being named in the victors’ best players.
In his draft year, Graham earnt selection for the under-18 Allies squad where he was deployed as sole ruck, impressing with his physicality and read of the play.
Two strong seasons of NEAFL football with the Suns during which he shipped roles in attack, defence and in the ruck had Graham primed ahead of the 2018 AFL draft.
His new hometown club snapped him up with Pick 71 –
a “surreal, lifelong dream” he stated the morning after.
A strong pre-season had Graham in Dew’s squad for the opening round of 2020, before fighting to regain his spot in the senior squad for the Suns’ final six games of a COVID-affected season.
Having established himself as an imposing member of the Suns backline in his young career, a new opportunity awaits Graham in his first game of 2021.
He’s named on the interchange bench and based on his journey to get to the AFL he should be ready for whatever is thrown his way.