Essendon's Andrew McGrath Returns to Canada

The Bombers vice-captain and AFL’s first Canadian No. 1 draft pick joins AFLO Finals Week

This weekend, Andy McGrath will return to Toronto not just as Essendon’s vice-captain, but as the only Canadian ever drafted No. 1 in the AFL.

McGrath will be attending AFLO’s first week of finals that will see games between the Toronto Dingos and Rebels, at Humber South, kicking off at 11 a.m. followed by the two women’s+ finals with High Park v Hamilton at 1 p.m. then Blues v Roos at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday. 

Drafted No. 1 overall in 2016 – the first Essendon player in history to be drafted as the No.1 pick –  McGrath has since carved out a career across 180 games as a versatile midfielder and defender, known for his composure and leadership on and off the field. 

It’s a unique story and is proof that you don’t have to be born in Melbourne to make it in the AFL.McGrath isn’t the only Canadian player to reach the pinnacle of Aussie Rules. 

Mike Pyke, a former national rugby player, became the first Canadian to ever play in the AFL and became the first Canadian to win a premiership with the Swans in 2012. He first saw the game on Youtube, then after some encouragement from a mate, he took the leap. 

On the women’s side in the AFLW, former AFLO Hamilton Wildcats player and Northern Lights veteran Kendra Heil has made a career out of footy, first with Collingwood, then with Essendon.

These success stories provide Canadian fans – the curious and sports followers – with a link between Canada and the AFL. It also illustrates that a pipeline does exist for talent looking to start their AFL careers in Canada.

Aussie Rules Football isn’t new in Canada. AFL Canada was established in the late 80’s and since then expats and Canadians have been kicking the oval shaped ball from the West Coast all across to the East Coast. 

Today there are 53 teams across seven provinces that includes 1,000 senior members (20 percent growth 2022-2024), 20,000 junior participants (x5 times growth 2022-2024), more than 100 volunteers. 

On the junior football side, Calgary specifically has reached more than 10,000 students at the end of the last school year alone and will be going into schools throughout the fall term. Summer junior programs were also run in Sydney, Saint John, Montreal, and in Toronto (Central Blues). 

AFL Canada has also expanded to host the annual AFL Canada Cup Women’s tournament, Men’s Club Championship (this year in Toronto), and supports club-driven events. And there’s continued energy around both national teams for men’s (Northwind) and women’s (Northern Lights). 

Greg Bridges, national development manager, AFL Canada, said establishing AFL Atlantic (2024), along with the explosion of the junior programs across Canada, plus the evolution of the women’s tournaments have been three key areas of growth in the last two years. He believes that there’s no reason why Canada can’t be the next hotbed for AFLW talent. 

“Part of the appeal (of Aussie rules) is the community and culture around the sport. That it’s competitive. And the friendships that last away from footy,” Bridges said.

While AFL Canada sets the national direction, in Ontario, the game’s oldest and most competitive league, the province continues to drive participation and development through the men’s and women's+ leagues. 

Since launching Auskick in 2020, nearly 100 kids have taken up footy across Ontario (according to AFLO 2023 data). Female youth mentorship programs are also expanding opportunities for girls.In 2023, 20 Ontarians represented Canada’s national women’s team, the Northern Lights, while half of the men’s Northwind squad came from the province.

Toronto Eagles stalwart and league veteran Aaron Falconi has been part of the footy community for 27 years. He went from a high-school sports athlete to Canadian Northwind player which included three International Cups (2002, 2005, 2008), 575 goals in Ontario, and 334 games. He’s played football in the U.S. and the Geelong Football League (GFL), and has carried out volunteer, leadership and administrative roles like club president, coach, and AFL Ontario board member.

“I just liked how the sport was played. It was aggressive and competitive,” he said. “What keeps me around is the club environment. I’m playing with all my best friends. You get more out of the stuff you love because you put more into it. I feel like I get a lot back from footy.” 

In 2023, Drew Stapely spent eight months living in Melbourne and gravitated towards Aussie Rules. Living in the Western suburbs he became a loyal Bulldogs supporter and watched a lot of footy. When he returned to Toronto he saw on social media that the High Park Demons were hosting training sessions. Stapely tried it and has just completed his first full season with the Demons this year. One of the things he was drawn to is the friendships he’s made and the welcoming attitude at the club. 

“It’s nice being part of a team where the focus is on learning and to build that chemistry,” he said. “What I like about footy is that it’s always going back and forth. Lots of scoring. And you don’t have to be a huge guy to play. You can be small and quick and still impact the game.”

Footy’s appeal on the field isn’t hard to see.  It blends the actions of multiple sports together: the endurance of soccer, the athleticism of basketball, and the physical contact of rugby and hockey. It is chaos across 360-degrees with 36 players. You can jump on someone’s shoulders to catch the ball i.e. “marks”. And the end-to-end ball movement is just as good to watch as the scoring of goals. 

When Halifax Dockers rookie Robert Shea was living in Sydney, Australia, he would listen to games of footy on the radio. More of a rugby head back then, it wasn’t until his brother-in-law introduced him to the Dockers that he started watching highlights on Youtube and late night TSN matches  to understand the game before getting involved.

“I was looking for a sport that I could play into my 30s. Footy ticked all the boxes. It was kicking. It had handball. And had contact. It was dynamic and fast-paced,” Shea said. “I felt like you could learn it fairly quickly without knowing every rule or penalty. The added benefit was how structured the club was, with a bunch of activities planned. I appreciate that now.”

With the arrival of McGrath this weekend it’s a great opportunity for Canadians who are curious about the game, have seen snippets of it on Youtube or TSN, to come down to Humber South. You’ll get to experience the Canadian game and who knows, you might just be watching the next No.1 pick in the AFL Draft.