Ex-AFL player Moller set for Boomers debut

Former Fremantle player turned Melbourne United forward Craig Moller is set to become the first ex-AFL player to represent the Boomers.

Craig Moller

Ex-AFL player Craig Moller (r) is in line to make his debut for the Boomers. (AAP)

Dual-athlete Craig Moller is poised to achieve a historic crossover and become the first ex-AFL player to make his international basketball debut for the Boomers.

The Melbourne United forward was picked on Wednesday for the Australian side's upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Iran (November 30) and Qatar (December 3) in Melbourne.

The former Fremantle tall replaces teammate Chris Goulding, who will sit out the two matches after making his return from a knee injury in United's come-from-behind win over Cairns on Sunday.

Moller played just one AFL game as a substitute in three seasons with the Dockers before being delisted at the end of 2015.

The 24-year-old toured China with the NBL All-Australian team in June after starting in five of his 35 NBL appearances last season for United as they went on to claim the title.

Basketball Australia is confident Moller is the first former AFL player to represent the Boomers after consulting their records, a spokesman told AAP.

The 203cm Sydney native is one of many Australian dual-athletes to switch between the two sports over the years.

But it appears Moller is the only one to cross over from the elite ranks of Australian rules to the national basketball team and not the other way around.

Adelaide defender Hugh Greenwood made the transition to the AFL after being picked by the Crows as a category B rookie in 2015 while under contract with the Perth Wildcats.

Almost 15 years earlier, former Port Adelaide and GWS ruckman Dean Brogan was rookie listed by the Power after playing 17 games with the Adelaide 36ers in 1998.

Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury chose AFL after being well on his way to a professional basketball career as a youngster, while Australian NBA players Ben Simmons and Patty Mills played Aussie rules growing up before following hoop dreams.

Moller's veteran teammate David Barlow and Brisbane Bullets guard Cameron Gliddon were also included in the Australian squad, with the likes of Simmons and Mills unavailable due to NBA commitments.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world