Aaron James

Who is Aaron James?

Aaron James is an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League.

Having performed well in the TAC Cup, Collingwood selected James with pick 35 in the 1993 AFL Draft. He was just 17 when he made his AFL debut in 1994, against Hawthorn, but his only statistic from the game was a free kick against. After making just one further appearance that year, James became a regular member of the team in 1995 with 16 games for the season. A knee injury kept him out of the side for the entirety of 1996 but still made headlines when he was charged with affray following a brawl with nightclub security. He didn't return until midway through the 1997 season and at the end of the year was again in trouble, this time for urinating on two women at the "Saloon Bar" in South Yarra. Fined for both incidents, Collingwood lost patience with him and he was traded to Richmond. The trade saw Bradley Smith and Jamie Tape go to Collingwood, while Richmond received James as well as the draft pick which was used to get Andrew Kellaway.

James spent four seasons at Richmond, playing seven games in 1998 and ten more in 1999. He was a regular fixture in the side for the second half of the 2000 AFL season but another knee injury, suffered during the final round match against Carlton, would mean he missed another year of football, in 2001.