Charlie Ballard

This article is about the sportsman. For the criminal, see Charles W. Bullard.

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 career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2018- Gold Coast 133 (3)
1 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.[1]

Ballard played in their under-18 premiership for the Sturt Football Club in the SANFL as well as for Sacred Heart College.[2] 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.[3]

AFL career

Ballard was selected by Gold Coast with pick 42, their 3rd-round selection.[4]

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.[5] Ballard's first game was praised by coach Stuart Dew, along with fellow debutant Brayden Crossley.[6]

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.[7]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of 2024[8]
Legend
  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[a] 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

  1. ^ 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

  1. ^ AFL Record. Round 9, 2022. pg 78
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Twomey, Callum. "Late bloomer looms as draft tall order". afl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Charlie Ballard". goldcoastfc.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Black, Sarah. "Sparkling debutants can add polish Suns need". afl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  7. ^ "'I love the place': Suns lock away another piece of backline puzzle". afl.com.au. 17 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Charlie Ballard". AFL Tables. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.