- Callum Brown doesn’t sound like any other AFL player
- The rising star found fame in football in an unusual way
- Brown’s five goals helped GWS beat Collingwood
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Callum Brown had a great start to the AFL season for GWS Giants with a career-high five goals against Collingwood, but his unusual accent left some footy fans scratching their heads.
The 23-year-old rising star was born in England but moved to Northern Ireland at the age of five, where he developed an interest in football and rugby.
Brown emerged as a Gaelic football star as a teenager before GWS scouts spotted him in action.
His physicality and athleticism on the field quickly set him apart from his peers, and GWS signed him as an international rookie until the 2018 AFL draft when he was 18 years old.
Brown spent several years developing his game in the club’s reserve team, before a series of excellent performances earned him a call-up to the senior team in 2021.
GWS rising talent Callum Brown (pictured second from left after the team’s win over Collingwood on Saturday) was born in England and grew up in Ireland.
The 23-year-old emerged as a Gaelic football star as a teenager before being discovered by Giants scouts.
When you listen to him speak, you can hear hints of his time in England and Australia creeping into his Irish accent.
“I had no idea anyone was here, no friends or family, I always wanted to experience something new,” Brown said. news corporation in 2023.
‘The Giants were eager to take me, so I jumped on it without hesitation.
“I wanted to do something professional and take advantage of my athletic ability.”
The transition from Gaelic football to Australian rules came naturally for Brown, but reaching the elite level was not easy.
“I think the coaches probably didn’t get the kind of person I was from the beginning, I was very relaxed and relaxed,” Brown said.
“It may seem like I didn’t want to be there, but I actually loved it.
“I knew I had the attributes, but I probably needed more football sense. Maybe I just didn’t put in the effort they wanted from me.
“It was a real kick in the butt, there were a couple of them over the years. Serious conversations in the meeting rooms with the coaches and Jason McCartney: ‘What are you doing? We know you have it, but you don’t show it.’
‘It clicked in my head. “This is exactly what I want in my life, so I need to work harder at it.”
Brown was called up to the senior team in 2021 and appears to be improving with every game.
If the Giants can continue their excellent run of form dating back to the middle of last year, Brown could become the fourth Irishman to make an AFL premiership team.
“To be honest, I was just thinking about winning it,” he said. AFL.com.au.
“Obviously it would be nice to win it for everyone at home because I know everyone will support me and that pushes me to do it even more.”
‘That’s what Ireland is about. “Once you play for a team, everyone is for it and yes, it would be special, a special moment.”