Brayden Ham

Brayden Ham (born 25 April 1999) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Essendon in the Australian Football League (AFL). In his junior career in the TAC Cup he played many positions, before he was selected by Essendon with pick 72 in the 2018 national draft. Ham made his debut in round 5 of the 2019 season.

Junior career

From Torquay, Victoria, Ham played junior football in the 2018 TAC Cup for the Geelong Falcons as an over-aged player. He played in a variety of positions: becoming a forward after starting the season in the midfield, and sometimes playing as a defender. Ham finished second in the Falcons' best and fairest behind Sam Walsh, kicking 22 goals in 16 matches. He attended the state AFL draft combine and performed strongly in the endurance and sprint tests.

AFL career

Ham was selected by Essendon with pick 72 in the 2018 national draft. He made his debut in round 5 of the 2019 season against North Melbourne as a late replacement for David Zaharakis, who had an infected cut on his knee.

Personal life

Ham studied sports science at university at the beginning of 2018 but "didn’t think it was really for [him]". His two brothers both are both involved in the Geelong Falcons development program.