Versatile Cripps to join Blues

Another member of one of the Mid West’s most famous footballing families has moved to Victoria to chase his AFL dream.

Carlton’s VFL side, the Northern Blues, announced this week that 19-year-old Northampton product Jack Cripps had signed on for the 2016 season, where he was expected to line up as a key position forward.

Cripps was unfortunate to miss out on being drafted as an 18-year-old, after he finished in the top 10 for goal kicking and also the “clean hands test” at the 2014 AFL draft combine.

Since then the 198cm prospect has played three senior WAFL games for East Fremantle this year, where he displayed his versatility by lining up at both ends of the ground, as well as on a wing.

Northern Blues general manager Gary O’Sullivan said on the Carlton website that the younger Cripps was a welcome addition to the Blues’ list for the 2016 season.

“It originally all came out of the blue after a recommendation from Stephen Silvagni, but we’re very excited by it. He’s 198cm and a growing young lad,” he said.

“Contact was made about a month ago via the recruiting department at Carlton, letting me know that Jack would be coming over next year and stay with his cousin Patrick and play with the Northern Blues.

“It was just a matter of working out the formalities from there.”

O’Sullivan said Cripps had the ability to play all over ground and was looking forward to seeing him forge his own path at Northern next season.

“In talking to him, he seems quite versatile. He’s played a fair bit of reserves WAFL football as well as getting some senior games,” he said.

“He’s got some good pace for a big guy … (so) it’ll be interesting to see where he fits in our system.”

Should Cripps’ AFL dream eventually become a reality, he will join cousins Patrick and Jamie who are already established stars of the competition.