GVGjr
13-01-2009, 10:19 PM
For years the Bulldogs teams were seen by both the public and their own supporters as a good one although a lack of height was hurting them. Over the last couple of years Scott Clayton has been able to address that especially given we have been able to work with a larger Rookie list.
In 2007 Clayton added an intriguing raw boned athletic tall in James Mulligan. At 201cm tall and very mobile there is also a lot to like about him. He has a strong and mature character and he play in a physical manner that will no doubt impress the supporters.
2008 was very much a development year for Mulligan spending all season playing for the Williamstown reserves. The coaching team seemed very keen to play him as a key defender but a run of injuries to some other talls including rookie team mate John Shaw meant that Mulligan spent the vast majority of the season in the ruck. He was a good contributor most weeks but the rucking craft does not come easy to a lot of youngsters and it's fair to say he still has plenty to learn in that area.
2009 should be a big season for him where the opportunity to play for the Williamstown senior side every week will be his main aim.
He has been struggling through a few training sessions so far in this off season but if he is fit enough I can certainly see him pressing for a spot during the NAB cup.
I'd be interested to hear others opinions of him but he is one of a small group of players that I will keep a close eye on.
This is an article about Mulligan
At a Glance
From: Gold Coast
Born: 14 June 1989
Height: 201cm
Weight: 96kg
Key Statistics
Recruited from: Southport
Draft Details: Selection #4 (1st Round) - 2008 AFL rookie draft
AFL Debut: -
Background
James Mulligan's life wasn't too shabby. Twelve months into a business degree at Bond University, he was in a high-rise aparatment in Main Beach on the Gold Coast, he overlooked the Pacific Ocean on one side and one of the tourist strip's trendiest areas, full of coffee shops and restaurants in Tedder Avenue, on the other.
At 18 he could have been excused for happily letting things roll along for a little while.
But something was missing. And he was only too happy to give up his cruisy lifestyle up fill in the hole.
Mulligan, a supreme athlete of unquestioned potential, desperately wanted to be an AFL footballer. By his own account he was "shattered" when overlooked in the 2007 AFL National Draft on 24 November after a strong showing at the AFL Draft Camp and a string of encouraging interviews with AFL talent scouts.
But it was a short-lived emptiness. Seventeen days later, after Mulligan had enjoyed a holiday in Phuket, his dream became a reality when he was drafted by the Western Bulldogs.
It was Tuesday 11 November 2007. Mulligan was snapped up by the Dogs recruiting maestro Scott Clayton with selection No. 4 in the 2008 AFL Rookie Draft.
Clayton, widely acclaimed for his ability to identify a 'smokey' in the national talent pool, didn't hesitate. "He's very raw as a footballer but he's got enormous athletic potential," he said, admitting he had given serious consideration to taking him in the National Draft.
"He's got a long way to go and a lot of hard work to do but we're looking to develop a big forward and we're happy to give him the opportunity," he added.
Mulligan is the prototype modern day footballer ... a competitive and co-ordinated 201cm and 96kg teenager who can run and jump.
A key forward/ruckman, he was a late starter to AFL football. Born in Moree in northern NSW, he spent part of his early childhood in Toowoomba and moved to the Gold Coast in 1999 to attend The Southport School, where he played rugby and excelled in athletics.
It wasn't until 2005 that he turned his hand to AFL at Surfers Paradise. In his first season he represented Queensland at U16 level but after switching to Southport in '06, he missed much of his second season with shin splints.
But in '07 he broke into the senior side with AFLQ premiers Southport and represented Queensland again at U18 level.
He was among seven Queenslanders invited to the AFL Draft Camp, where he impressed with his athletic capabilities, ranking 4th in the vertical jump among the elite youngsters in Australia.
Mulligan is a young man who knows no fear. On the day he was drafted by the Dogs he told the national media the Kangaroos were "dumb" to turn their back an AFL-sponsorship relocation to the Gold Coast.
The proud and parochial Gold Coaster said support for the code up north would have secured the Roos' future.
"Having a team here (on the Gold Coast) will be awesome," Mulligan said. "There's definitely enough support here. The Kangaroos were dumb for not making the move. It would have got lots of money for that club. I reckon they could get a lot more supporters."
But it's no longer a concern for the fourth Southport ruckman to be drafted to the AFL in the past two years, following the 2006 trio of Brent Renouf (Hawthorn), Kurt Tippett (Adelaide) and Jesse White (Sydney) - he's focus is all about the Whitten Oval.
Mulligan is the seventh Queenslander at the Bulldogs in 2008, joining Mitch Hahn, Jason Akermanis, Tom Williams, Jarrod Harbrow, Paul O'Shea and 2007 Queensland U18 teammate Sam Reid.
http://www.velocitysports.com.au/images/Athletes/James%20Mulligan/Mulligan_Southport_kicking.jpg
In 2007 Clayton added an intriguing raw boned athletic tall in James Mulligan. At 201cm tall and very mobile there is also a lot to like about him. He has a strong and mature character and he play in a physical manner that will no doubt impress the supporters.
2008 was very much a development year for Mulligan spending all season playing for the Williamstown reserves. The coaching team seemed very keen to play him as a key defender but a run of injuries to some other talls including rookie team mate John Shaw meant that Mulligan spent the vast majority of the season in the ruck. He was a good contributor most weeks but the rucking craft does not come easy to a lot of youngsters and it's fair to say he still has plenty to learn in that area.
2009 should be a big season for him where the opportunity to play for the Williamstown senior side every week will be his main aim.
He has been struggling through a few training sessions so far in this off season but if he is fit enough I can certainly see him pressing for a spot during the NAB cup.
I'd be interested to hear others opinions of him but he is one of a small group of players that I will keep a close eye on.
This is an article about Mulligan
At a Glance
From: Gold Coast
Born: 14 June 1989
Height: 201cm
Weight: 96kg
Key Statistics
Recruited from: Southport
Draft Details: Selection #4 (1st Round) - 2008 AFL rookie draft
AFL Debut: -
Background
James Mulligan's life wasn't too shabby. Twelve months into a business degree at Bond University, he was in a high-rise aparatment in Main Beach on the Gold Coast, he overlooked the Pacific Ocean on one side and one of the tourist strip's trendiest areas, full of coffee shops and restaurants in Tedder Avenue, on the other.
At 18 he could have been excused for happily letting things roll along for a little while.
But something was missing. And he was only too happy to give up his cruisy lifestyle up fill in the hole.
Mulligan, a supreme athlete of unquestioned potential, desperately wanted to be an AFL footballer. By his own account he was "shattered" when overlooked in the 2007 AFL National Draft on 24 November after a strong showing at the AFL Draft Camp and a string of encouraging interviews with AFL talent scouts.
But it was a short-lived emptiness. Seventeen days later, after Mulligan had enjoyed a holiday in Phuket, his dream became a reality when he was drafted by the Western Bulldogs.
It was Tuesday 11 November 2007. Mulligan was snapped up by the Dogs recruiting maestro Scott Clayton with selection No. 4 in the 2008 AFL Rookie Draft.
Clayton, widely acclaimed for his ability to identify a 'smokey' in the national talent pool, didn't hesitate. "He's very raw as a footballer but he's got enormous athletic potential," he said, admitting he had given serious consideration to taking him in the National Draft.
"He's got a long way to go and a lot of hard work to do but we're looking to develop a big forward and we're happy to give him the opportunity," he added.
Mulligan is the prototype modern day footballer ... a competitive and co-ordinated 201cm and 96kg teenager who can run and jump.
A key forward/ruckman, he was a late starter to AFL football. Born in Moree in northern NSW, he spent part of his early childhood in Toowoomba and moved to the Gold Coast in 1999 to attend The Southport School, where he played rugby and excelled in athletics.
It wasn't until 2005 that he turned his hand to AFL at Surfers Paradise. In his first season he represented Queensland at U16 level but after switching to Southport in '06, he missed much of his second season with shin splints.
But in '07 he broke into the senior side with AFLQ premiers Southport and represented Queensland again at U18 level.
He was among seven Queenslanders invited to the AFL Draft Camp, where he impressed with his athletic capabilities, ranking 4th in the vertical jump among the elite youngsters in Australia.
Mulligan is a young man who knows no fear. On the day he was drafted by the Dogs he told the national media the Kangaroos were "dumb" to turn their back an AFL-sponsorship relocation to the Gold Coast.
The proud and parochial Gold Coaster said support for the code up north would have secured the Roos' future.
"Having a team here (on the Gold Coast) will be awesome," Mulligan said. "There's definitely enough support here. The Kangaroos were dumb for not making the move. It would have got lots of money for that club. I reckon they could get a lot more supporters."
But it's no longer a concern for the fourth Southport ruckman to be drafted to the AFL in the past two years, following the 2006 trio of Brent Renouf (Hawthorn), Kurt Tippett (Adelaide) and Jesse White (Sydney) - he's focus is all about the Whitten Oval.
Mulligan is the seventh Queenslander at the Bulldogs in 2008, joining Mitch Hahn, Jason Akermanis, Tom Williams, Jarrod Harbrow, Paul O'Shea and 2007 Queensland U18 teammate Sam Reid.
http://www.velocitysports.com.au/images/Athletes/James%20Mulligan/Mulligan_Southport_kicking.jpg