There were a lot of numbers associated with Jack Peris’ debut last weekend.

The 19-year-old was the 1639th player to represent the red, white and black at V/AFL level, the 32nd Saint of Indigenous heritage to represent the club and, on Saturday, one of three Moorabbin Airport STK Academy graduates to feature at senior level this season.

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Grabbing the bull by the horns: Peris reflects on debut outing

From Category B Rookie via STK Academy to AFL debutant, Jack Peris is making the most of his opportunity.

Following in the footsteps of Mitchito Owens and Marcus Windhager, Peris is the seventh graduate of Moorabbin Airport STK Academy to be drafted to an AFL club, six of whom have now made their senior debuts.

Richmond’s Bigoa ‘Biggy’ Nyuon and Hawthorn’s Cameron Mackenzie have featured at the highest level for their respective clubs, while Angus McLennan last week enjoyed a successful return via the VFL following a debilitating back injury from pre-season.

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For a long time though, it seemed like Peris would follow in his parents’ footsteps and take to the athletics track. A tilt at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a sprinter was on the cards before COVID-19 and a 13cm tear in his hamstring put those plans on ice, however it ended up being the beginning of his football calling. It was a lifetime dream of his, after all.

As part of St Kilda’s Next Generation Academy and a recipient of the Moorabbin Airport Indigenous Scholarship Program, Peris enhanced his game with full access to the Saints’ facilities and Academy head coach Nick Dal Santo for several seasons, eventually being drafted as a Category B Rookie in 2021.

St Kilda's 2021 draft class, four of whom came via Moorabbin Airport STK Academy. L-R: Oscar Adams, Josiah Kyle, Jack Peris, Marcus Windhager, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Mitch Owens. Photo: AFL Photos.

It’s one thing going from Academy graduate to AFL draftee, but it’s another leap entirely to go from Category B Rookie to senior debutant.

But Peris hasn’t let the title define him, refining his chase-and-harass game - the evidence of which was crystal clear through his speed and tackling pressure on Saturday - through the VFL before earning his spot in the line-up.

“It’s not about where you are placed, but how you maximise your opportunities in life,” Jack’s mum, Olympic Gold Medallist Nova Peris said in the minutes after Jack’s debut.

Irrespective of the fact that Jack has a title of a Category B Rookie, he took the bull by the horns. I don’t think he looked out of place.

- Nova Peris

Out of all the numbers that came from his debut, the one that arguably is most important to Peris is the number ‘one’. One game officially in the books. 

And that one game could be the leaping off point for many more exciting things to come.

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