Flynn Appleby

Flynn Appleby
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-01-21) 21 January 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Cohuna, Victoria
Original team(s) Greater Western Victoria Rebels (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 6, 2018 rookie draft
Debut 29 April 2018, Collingwood vs. Richmond, at MCG
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2018–2020 Collingwood 11 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2020 season.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Flynn Appleby (born 21 January 1999) is an American college football punter with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Australian Football League.

State football

As a junior, Appleby played for local club Cohuna Kangas.[1] In 2014 he moved to Ballarat,[2] playing junior football in the Ballarat Football League with Ballarat in 2015 and with North Ballarat City in 2016.[3] He also played with the Greater Western Victoria Rebels in the TAC Cup,[4][5] being named among the best players 12 times in the 18 matches he played, as well as playing one Victorian Football League (VFL) game with North Ballarat.[6] He tested at the Rookie Me Combine in October 2017, then trained with Collingwood's affiliate in the VFL. Due to this, Collingwood were fined $20,000, since players are not allowed to train with an AFL club or state-league counterpart if they attend a combine, with half of the fine being suspended until 31 October 2018.[7]

AFL career

Appleby was drafted by Collingwood with the sixth pick of the 2018 rookie draft, which was their first selection.[2] He made his debut in round 6 of the 2018 season against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, as a late replacement for Tom Langdon.[8] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Appleby returned to his parents' dairy farm in Cohuna, helping out with the farm-work while training four times a week at the Cohuna Football Oval with Melbourne player Marty Hore, whose family has a dairy farm near in Leitchville.[9] In November 2020, Appleby was delisted by Collingwood.[10] Appleby was unsuccessful in his attempt to regain a spot on an AFL club's list, though was appointed as captain of the North Melbourne reserves ahead of the 2021 VFL season.[11]

College career

In April 2023, Appleby took over the punting job at Rutgers after enrolling in the summer of 2022.[12]

In March 2024, it was announced that Appleby was not on the roster for the Rutgers football team. The team confirmed that Appleby had left the team and was no longer pursuing football.[13]

Personal life

Appleby grew up in Cohuna, Victoria and is the cousin of golfer Stuart Appleby.[2] His parents, Graham and Megan, own a dairy farm in Cohuna.[14] After moving to Ballarat, Appleby studied and boarded at Ballarat Clarendon College.[3]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2020 season[15]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2018 Collingwood 31 9 0 1 72 37 109 36 12 0.0 0.1 8.0 4.1 12.1 4.0 1.3
2019 Collingwood 31 1 0 0 3 4 7 2 1 0.0 0.0 3.0 4.0 7.0 2.0 1.0
2020 Collingwood 31 1 1 2 4 5 9 1 2 1.0 2.0 4.0 5.0 9.0 1.0 2.0
Career 11 1 3 79 46 125 39 15 0.1 0.3 7.2 4.2 11.4 3.5 1.4

References

  1. ^ "59 from Vic competitions join AFL lists". AFL Victoria. 28 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ryan, Peter (27 November 2017). "Collingwood add defender with famous cousin, Flynn Appleby, via AFL rookie draft". The Age. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b Brehaut, David (27 November 2017). "Appleby only GWV Rebel selected in AFL rookie draft". The Courier-Mail.
  4. ^ "Greater Western Victoria Rebels 2016 TAC Cup Playing Squad". Greater Western Victoria Rebels. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ^ "AFL Drafted Players". Greater Western Victoria Rebels. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Flynn Appleby". Collingwood. Telstra Media. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. ^ McGowan, Mark (9 February 2018). "Revealed: Mystery Pie at centre of $20K fine". Australian Football League. Telstra Media. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  8. ^ Bowen, Nick (29 April 2018). "Magpie to debut against Tigers after late change". Australian Football League. Telstra Media. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. ^ Howe, Courtney; Dowling, Matt (7 May 2020). "AFL players swapping football boots for gumboots to spend lockdown on the family farm". ABC News.
  10. ^ "Beams says goodbye, Pies delist three". Collingwood. Telstra Media. 25 November 2020.
  11. ^ "VFL: 2021 leadership group announced". North Melbourne. 12 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Flynn Appleby is the next man up at punter for Rutgers". rutgers.rivals.com. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  13. ^ "Breaking: Flynn Appleby is no longer with Rutgers football". Rutgers Wire. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  14. ^ Woods, Rodney (16 April 2020). "Appleby returns to Cohuna dairy farm during shutdown". Country News.
  15. ^ "Flynn Appleby". AFL Tables. Retrieved 19 October 2020.