AFL grand final 2024: West Coast Eagles’ Jai Culley and Fremantle Dockers’ Jeremy Sharp named as sprinters

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

AFL grand final 2024: West Coast Eagles’ Jai Culley and Fremantle Dockers’ Jeremy Sharp named as sprinters

The **** Fremantle recruit who ran shoulder-to-shoulder with Peter Bol in pre-season has been revealed as the club’s representative in the grand final sprint.

Jeremy Sharp, who played every game for the Dockers after not being picked at all for Gold Coast last season, will put his speed to the test against some of the league’s fastest players on Saturday.

And West Coast youngster Jai Culley has also been named in the field.

Some of the other nominees are surprising, including injury-riddled pair Orazio Fantasia, representing Carlton, and Dion Prestia, running for Richmond.

St Kilda first-year player Darcy Wilson and dashing Hawthorn half-back Josh Weddle are among the favourites.

West Aussies Angus Sheldrick (Sydney) and Riley Garcia (Western Bulldogs) will also run.

The heats will take place at around 10.15am (AWST), with the final to take place during half time.

Camera IconJai Culley. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

The most recent West ***********-based player to win the sprint is Josh Rotham, but that was during the 2021 decider played in Perth, where Dockers and Eagles made up the entire field.

No Fremantle player has won the race since James Walker went back-to-back in 2003 and 2004, but Jordan Clark took out the 2020 crown before shifting from Geelong.

Sharp is an exceptional middle-distance runner and has covered plenty of ground for the Dockers up and down the wing this season.

During one summer session, Olympic finalist Peter Bol ran with Sharp during three one-kilometre trials.

“The boy definitely looks in shape,” Bol told thewest.com.au.

“But I was more impressed with his mental fitness. He had me there as the fourth best in the world over 800m and chose to challenge me. That stuff impresses me. I think he’s going to be a very good asset for this team.”

Cats winger Max Holmes took out last year’s sprint, but no previous winners are running.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#AFL #grand #final #West #Coast #Eagles #Jai #Culley #Fremantle #Dockers #Jeremy #Sharp #named #sprinters

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up