Sam Sturt

Sam Sturt (born 12 May 2000) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Drafted with the 17th selection in the 2018 AFL draft from the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup, Sturt had mainly played cricket as a junior. He attended Peninsula Grammar.

AFL Career

Fremantle (2019-)

2019-2022: Early Career and Injuries

Upon moving to Fremantle, he played for Peel Thunder in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), Fremantle's reserve team, however he missed two months of football after suffering two concussion injuries early in the 2019 season.

Sturt made his AFL debut for Fremantle in the opening round of the 2020 AFL season at Marvel Stadium against Essendon. He earned a Rising Star nomination after kicking three goals and amassing 10 disposals in the match.

Sturt played just one game during the 2021 AFL season after struggling with injuries, and spent the entire 2022 AFL season playing for Peel in the WAFL. He played 17 matches and kicked 26 goals for Peel. At the end of the year Sturt signed a one-year contract extension at the end of the season to keep him at until the end of 2023.

2023: More Opportunities and Breakout

In Round 5 of the 2023 AFL season Sturt made his return to the AFL in a game at Norwood Oval against . Sturt gained 6 disposals and 4 marks. He helped in a tight contest which resulted in a 10 point win for . Sturt kept his spot in the team for ’s next game against the . Sturt used this opportunity to kick 2 goals in a disappointing loss at home. Those goals kept him in the side leading up to Fremantle’s clash with the Brisbane Lions. Unfortunately for Sturt his game against Brisbane would end quickly due to being substituted out in the 3rd Quarter. After playing 3 games for ’s WAFL side, Peel Thunder, Sturt returned to the senior team for a big game against . Sturt started as the substitute but came in quickly due to ruckman, Sean Darcy, tearing a hamstring in the 2nd Quarter. Sturt finished the game with only 5 disposals, however Fremantle still got the win. Sturt returned to the starting lineup in Round 13. However Sturt was quiet, collecting only 7 disposals and kicking a goal in a 15 point loss to Richmond at home. The next week ahead of ’s clash against the Giants Sturt was named as an emergency. However due to Michael Frederick failing a fitness test minutes before the game, Sturt was back into the side. Sturt kicked 2 goals and had 9 disposals in a good game for him but a not so good game for the Dockers who would end up losing by 70 points. The next week Sturt was named as the substitute. Sturt was subbed into the game for Alex Pearce who suffered an injury in the 4th quarter. Sturt was on the ground for just below 19 minutes. In this time he gained 3 disposals, had 2 tackles, and took a mark in a 32 point win against in the west. After a couple games playing for ‘s reserve side in the WAFL, Sturt returned to the top team in Round 18 against . Sturt played well in his return game kicking 2 goals and having 8 disposals. Round 21 saw Sturt kick 3 goals during Fremantle's 3 point loss to the . Western Derby 57 saw Sturt kick a career high four goals during Fremantle's 101 point win over West Coast at Optus Stadium. Sturt signed a one year contract extension during the 2023 season, tying him to Fremantle until at least 2024. In Round 24 Sturt kicked a goal in a 37 point thrashing of to finish his most successful season in the AFL thus far.

Statistics

AFL Statistics

''Updated to the end of 2023''.

, -
, 2019 , , , , 27
, 0 , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , –
, -
, 2020 , , , , 27
, 3 , , 4 , , 0 , , 12 , , 11 , , 23 , , 7 , , 3 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , , 3.7 , , 7.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.0
, -
, 2021 , , , , 1
, 1 , , 1 , , 1 , , 3 , , 2 , , 5 , , 2 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0
, -
, 2022 , , , , 1
, 0 , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , – , , –
, -
, 2023 , , , , 1
, 14 , , 17 , , 9 , , 65 , , 54 , , 119 , , 45 , , 17 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 4.6 , , 3.9 , , 8.5 , , 3.2 , , 1.2
, - class=sortbottom
! colspan=3 , Career
! 18 !! 22 !! 10 !! 80 !! 67 !! 147 !! 54 !! 20 !! 1.2 !! 0.6 !! 4.4 !! 3.7 !! 8.2 !! 3.0 !! 1.1

WAFL Statistics

''Updated to the end of round 7, 2024''.

, -
, 2019 , , Peel Thunder , , 37
, 12 , , 6 , , 6 , , 73 , , 84 , , 157 , , 43 , , 31 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 6.0 , , 7.0 , , 12.8 , , 3.5 , , 2.5
, -
, 2021 , , Peel Thunder , , 4
, 3 , , 11 , , 2 , , 23 , , 16 , , 39 , , 15 , , 7 , , 3.6 , , 0.6 , , 7.6 , , 5.3 , , 13.0 , , 5.0 , , 2.3
, -
, 2022 , , Peel Thunder , , 63
, 17 , , 26 , , 23 , , 110 , , 76 , , 186 , , 58 , , 31 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , 6.5 , , 4.4 , , 10.9 , , 3.4 , , 1.8
, -
, 2023 , , Peel Thunder , , 63
, 5 , , 7 , , 5 , , 48 , , 50 , , 98 , , 29 , , 19 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 9.6 , , 10.0 , , 19.6 , , 5.8 , , 3.8
, -
, 2024 , , , , 17
, 2 , , 5 , , 2 , , 11 , , 18 , , 29 , , 9 , , 4 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 5.5 , , 9.0 , , 14.5 , , 4.5 , , 2.0
, - class=sortbottom
! colspan=3 , Career
! 39 !! 55 !! 38 !! 265 !! 244 !! 509 !! 154 !! 92 !! 1.4 !! 0.9 !! 6.9 !! 6.1 !! 13.0 !! 3.9 !! 2.4

Notes

Honours and achievements

Individual
* AFL Rising Star nominee: 2020 (round 1)

References

External links

*
*
*
WAFL Player Profile and Statistics

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturt, Sam
2000 births
Living people
Fremantle Football Club players
Peel Thunder Football Club players
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
Dandenong Stingrays players
People educated at Peninsula Grammar