Sam Grlj
Australian rules footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Grlj (gril,[3]born 26 July 2007) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A quick rebounding defender, Grlj was drafted in the first round of the 2025 AFL draft and made his debut early in the 2026 season.
| Sam Grlj | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Grlj in March 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Samuel Grlj[1] | ||
| Nicknames | Griller, Sizzle[2] | ||
| Born | 29 July 2007 | ||
| Original team | Oakleigh Chargers (Talent League) | ||
| Draft | No. 8, 2025 AFL draft | ||
| Debut | Round 1, 2026, Richmond vs. Carlton, at MCG | ||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Half back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Richmond | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2026– | Richmond | 1 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of Round 1, 2026. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early life and junior football
Grlj was raised in Melbourne's eastern suburbs and played junior football with the Canterbury Cobras and the Kew Rovers in the Yarra Junior Football League.[4][5] He later played junior representative football with the Oakleigh Chargers in the Talent League in 2024 and attended, played for and captained the football side at Camberwell Grammar School through 2025.[3][6]
In the 2025 Talent League season, Grlj played seven matches, averaging 20.3 disposals and five tackles per game as a half-back and a midfielder.[7][8][9] For his performances, he was selected to the Talent League Team of the Year as a half-back.[8]
That same season, Grlj was selected to represent Victoria's metropolitan region at the 2025 AFL Under 18 Championships. He served as captain and played four matches with an average of 17 disposals per match.[8][6]
Grlj also played two matches of state-league football in 2025, featuring with Richmond's VFL team and recording 18 and 15 disposals in those matches.[10][8][11][12]
At the 2025 national draft combine, Grlj recorded the second fastest two kilometre time trial time (5 minutes, 59 seconds) and the ninth best time in the 20 metre sprint (2.926 seconds).[13][14][15] Prior to the draft, Grlj was projected to be taken with the 14th overall pick by each of AFL Media, Fox Sports and ESPN.[16][17][18]
AFL career
Grlj was drafted by Richmond with the club's second selection and the eighth pick overall in the 2025 AFL draft.[15][6] He made his first appearances for the club in two pre-season matches in February 2026.[19][20][21] Grlj will make his AFL debut in round 1 of the 2026 season, in a match against Carlton at the MCG.[22]
