Josh Drummond (born 19 April 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League who is currently serving as the defensive coach of the Gold Coast Football Club.[1] He was a rebounding defender and occasional wingman, with a long and accurate left-foot kick.

Josh Drummond
Josh Drummond at a Brisbane Lions public training session
in 2008.
Personal information
Full name Josh Drummond
Date of birth (1983-04-19) 19 April 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Original team(s) Northern Eagles (QAFL)
Draft No. 47, 2003 Rookie Draft, Brisbane Lions
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2005–2012 Brisbane Lions 94 (35)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2012.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life and junior football

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Dummond was born and raised on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.[2][3] His family had moved there from Avoca, Victoria, and he chose to play the sport that his father played. His school Matthew Flinders Anglican College had a team which he played with, then joined the local Maroochydore Football Club.[3]

To increase his chances of being drafted to the AFL, he moved to Brisbane to play with the Northern Eagles and nominated for the AFL Draft, however was overlooked for three successive years at the club[3] where he played mainly at centre half back despite representing Queensland at the 2003 AFL National Championships and kicking 6 goals against Tasmania.[3] He won the Eagles Best & Fairest in 2003. He was recruited by the Brisbane Lions through the 2003 rookie draft.

AFL career

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He was elevated to the Brisbane Lions senior list in Round 8, 2005 when he made his debut against Adelaide. After missing the early part of 2007 through injury, he became one of the Lions' most important players in 2007, with an impressive ability to hit targets from the kick out.

Josh Drummond's left foot kicks were recognised among the most penetrating and damaging in the AFL. Repeated soft tissue injuries, particularly to his quadriceps, hampered Drummond's career. He also missed a significant amount of football after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during the 2010 season necessitating LARS surgery.[4] Ongoing struggle with injury forced Drummond into an early retirement at the end of the 2012 season.[5]

Coaching career

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Upon retirement from his playing career, Drummond accepted a role as a development coach with North Melbourne in late 2012.[6] He remained at North for six seasons and transitioned into assistant coaching roles with the defensive and midfield groups before accepting returning to his home state of Queensland and accepting an assistant coaching role with the Gold Coast Suns in 2018.[7] He became Gold Coast's VFL coach in 2023.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Josh Drummond joins SUNS as assistant coach". Gold Coast Suns FC. GCFC. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  2. ^ Josh in Maroons’ Team of the Year
  3. ^ a b c d AFL Record (Round 16, 2007) Pg 12. 4 December 2008
  4. ^ Drummond undergoes LARS surgery (11 May 2010). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  5. ^ 2012 retirements, delistings and trades. AFL.com. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  6. ^ Drummond takes coaching role with North (8 November 2012). ABC News. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  7. ^ Josh Drummond joins SUNS as assistant coach (28 August 2018). Gold Coast Suns. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  8. ^ SUNS Announce Coaching Structure Changes (28 October 2022). Gold Coast Suns. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
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