Tom Gribble

Tom Gribble
Personal information
Full name Thomas Gribble
Born (1994-10-17) 17 October 1994 (age 32)
Original teams Geelong West St Peters (GFL)
Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
2013 Geelong reserves 4 (0)
2014–2023 Werribee 137 (60)
Total 141 (60)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2013 AFL Vic Country U19s 1 (0)
Career highlights
Source: PlayHQ

Thomas Gribble (born 17 October 1994) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Geelong Amateurs in the Bellarine Football Netball League (BFNL). He previously played for Geelong's reserves team and Werribee in the Victorian Football League (VFL), where he was a two-time winner of the J. J. Liston Trophy and five-time Team of the Year member.

Career

Gribble played junior football with the Geelong West St Peters Football Club in the Geelong Football League (GFL) and the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup. At the age of 17, he recorded 40 disposals in the Falcons' elimination final victory over the Murray Bushrangers. Although he spoke to six Australian Football League (AFL) clubs ahead of the 2012 draft, he was not selected by any AFL club.

Having missed out on being drafted to the AFL, Gribble continued playing for Geelong West St Peters in the GFL. He was selected by Geelong's reserves team to make his Victorian Football League (VFL) debut as the 23rd player in round 4 of the 2013 season, where he had 33 disposals against Frankston. In July 2013, Gribble played for AFL Victoria Country in an under-19s representative match against the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) and was named among the best players in a four-point loss. He won Geelong West St Peters' best-and-fairest award in 2013.

After four matches for Geelong in the VFL, Gribble moved to the Werribee Football Club for the 2014 season. He made his debut for the club in round 1 against Box Hill and played 18 senior matches during the season, including two finals matches, finishing fourth in Werribee's best-and-fairest count and making the 2014 VFL Team of the Year. He did not play any matches in 2015 because of a stress fracture in his leg.

In 2016, Gribble played three Development League matches before returning to Werribee's senior team. He recorded 44 disposals in round 17 during a 63-point victory over the Northern Blues. Following the end of North Melbourne's reserves affiliation with Werribee, Gribble re-signed with the club in 2018, making the VFL Team of the Year the same season. He won the J. J. Liston Trophy in 2019, having averaged 30 disposals and seven clearances during the season, along with making the Team of the Year and being awarded the Bruce Montgomery Trophy as Werribee's best-and-fairest player. Gribble did not play any matches in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, before finishing sixth in Werribee's best-and-fairest count the following year in 2021.

On 10 March 2022, Gribble was appointed Werribee co-captain, serving alongside Dom Brew. He led the VFL for total disposals during the 2022 season with 597, averaging a career-high 33.2 disposals per match. Gribble received 30 votes to win the J. J. Liston Trophy for a second time, becoming the first Werribee player to win the award on multiple occasions, in addition to winning a second Bruce Montgomery Trophy and being named in the 2022 VFL Team of the Year. He stepped down from the club's leadership group before the start of the 2023 season.

Gribble played every possible VFL match from the start of 2017 until round 7 of the 2023 season, when he was a late out on the morning of Werribee's match against Essendon due to illness. He was named in the 2023 VFL Team of the Year and finished second in the Liston Trophy count after averaging 31 disposals for the season. Gribble was one of Werribee's best players in the 2023 grand final, recording 29 disposals in a 19-point loss to Gold Coast. At the end of the year, he retired from the VFL to join the Geelong Amateurs in the Bellarine Football Netball League (BFNL) as a playing assistant coach.

Statistics

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2013Geelong67 400.00
2014Werribee13 18110.60
2015Werribee13 0——————————————0
2016Werribee4 1550.3
2017Werribee4 1880.4
2018Werribee4 18120.64
2019Werribee4 2090.525
2021Werribee4 91713712826546410.10.815.214.229.45.14.6—
2022Werribee4 189930629159773770.50.517.016.233.24.14.330
2023Werribee4 2058295323618105770.30.414.816.230.95.33.921
Career 141600.3

Personal life

Gribble was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of nine. His father, Andrew Gribble, was selected by Geelong with the 104th pick in the 1988 draft but did not play a senior VFL/AFL match, before later winning club best-and-fairest awards at South Barwon and Geelong West St Peters in 1993 and 1994 respectively. Andrew Gribble died on 29 November 2020 at the age of 53.

In 2021, Gribble and his brother – Noah Gribble – became the first brothers to play for Werribee in the same match since Hugh and Elijah Wales in 2015.

Notes

  1. ↑ The J. J. Liston Trophy was not awarded in 2021 because the season was curtailed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. 1 2 "2021 Werribee VFL Players". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Rhodes, Brendan (23 September 2023). "PLAYER PROFILES: 2023 Smithy's VFL Grand Final". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  3. ↑ Rivalland, Nathan (6 September 2026). "Reigning premiers atone for early finals misstep". Surf Coast Times. Archived from the original on 7 September 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  4. ↑ Black, Sarah (9 September 2019). "Werribee mid runs away with VFL B&F from Dogs father-son". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Green, Brad (October 2012). "Tom Gribble". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  6. 1 2 Slindon, Russell (25 April 2013). "VFL: Battle of the Bays". Geelong Football Club. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
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  8. ↑ "AFL Victoria Country Under 19 5.21-51 def. by 7.13-55 VAFA Under 19". WorkSafe AFL Victoria Representative. 7 July 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  9. 1 2 King, Tom (2 October 2023). "VFL star joins Ammos". K ROCK 95.5. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  10. 1 2 Rhodes, Brendan (7 April 2022). "To Bee or not to Bee, there was never a question". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  11. ↑ "VFL Team of the Year". VFL / VFLW. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  12. ↑ Murray, Tara (6 April 2022). "100 up for Gribble". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  13. 1 2 Jenkinson, Lance (25 October 2017). "Gribble a fine sign as Werribee Tigers go it alone". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  14. ↑ D'Anello, Luke (2 June 2016). "Werribee VFL talent Tom Gribble set to pounce". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
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  17. ↑ "Gribble grabs Liston with big tally". VFL / VFLW. 9 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  18. ↑ "2019 VFL Team of the Year". VFL / VFLW. 9 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  19. ↑ "Hanson makes history with fourth best and fairest". Werribee Football Club. 21 October 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  20. ↑ Murray, Tara (10 March 2022). "Gribble, Brew to captain Werribee". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  21. ↑ "Tom Gribble wins second J.J Liston Trophy". Werribee Football Club. 12 September 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  22. ↑ "Back to back, three years apart: Gribble wins second J.J. Liston Trophy". AFL.com.au. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  23. ↑ Slevison, Andrew (13 September 2022). "Werribee midfielder lands JJ Liston as VFL Team of the Year named". SEN. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  24. ↑ "Co-captains Brew and Gribble back on board". Werribee Football Club. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  25. ↑ "Nick Coughlan named Werribee captain". Werribee Football Club. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  26. ↑ "Werribee secures hard-fought win over Bombers". Werribee Football Club. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  27. ↑ Negrepontis, Nic (13 September 2023). "Could the VFL's best player finally earn an AFL opportunity in 2024?". SEN. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  28. ↑ "Numerous honours for Werribee at VFL Awards". Werribee Football Club. 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  29. ↑ Schmook, Nathan (24 September 2023). "Suns claim first silverware with comeback VFL GF win over Werribee". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 June 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  30. ↑ Lynch, Gerald (24 September 2023). "Werribee falls to Gold Coast in 2023 Decider". Werribee Football Club. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  31. ↑ "Another great bows out". Werribee Football Club. 6 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 July 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  32. ↑ "Geelong (VFL): 2013 list". Footyinfo. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
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  34. ↑ "AFL Victoria Record". VFL / VFLW. 12 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  35. ↑ "2014 J.J. Liston Trophy votes". VFL / VFLW. Archived from the original on 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  36. ↑ "Player Profiles". Werribee Football Club. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  37. ↑ "2015 J.J. Liston Trophy votes". VFL / VFLW. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  38. ↑ "2018 J.J. Liston Trophy votes". VFL / VFLW. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
  39. ↑ "2019 J.J. Liston Trophy votes". VFL / VFLW. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  40. ↑ "2022 J.J. Liston Trophy votes" (PDF). AFL.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  41. ↑ "2023 J.J. Liston Trophy votes" (PDF). AFL.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
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  43. ↑ "Vale Andrew Gibble". Werribee Football Club. 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  44. ↑ "GRIBBLE, Andrew". My Tributes. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2026. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
  45. ↑ "Team: Round 16 vs Bullants". Werribee Football Club. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2026.