‘Aish dynasty’: Fremantle’s James Aish to extend family legacy in Norwood’s first AFL match

As part of the AFL’s inaugural Gather Round in South Australia, Aish and the Dockers will battle Gold Coast for the first ever premiership points on offer at Norwood Oval. The ground has hosted pre-season games and AFLW fixtures, but never a men’s premiership match.

It also marks the continuation of Aish’s journey at Norwood, a step he never thought would be possible when drafted to Brisbane at pick seven in 2013.

Aish broke a SANFL record when he became the youngest Norwood player in 134 years to debut at league level. He was just 16 when he pulled on the navy and red for the first time, and featured in Norwood’s 2012 and 2013 SANFL premierships as a teenager.

Aish played alongside his cousin Jesse. His dad Andrew played nearly 100 games, including Norwood’s 1982 premiership. His uncle Michael played 300 matches and captained the club from 1987 to 1989.

And his grandfather Peter managed 162 games, including two seasons as captain, and was a member of the Norwood Hall of Fame.

But James, a third-generation Redleg, is the first in his family to return to the club as an AFL player, a career that seemed a foregone conclusion when he first represented Norwood.

“You could see from day one how poised he was as a player. As a young fellow in amongst men, he was balanced, he knew exactly what he was doing,” then Norwood CEO Geoff Baynes told CODE.

“His concentration on the role that he played and the way he went about playing the game added to that poise. Outwardly, he was very confident in the way he approached it. He’s very lucky to be part of the Aish dynasty because I’m sure both his dad and uncle were giving him lots of advice about how to approach the game.

“Nathan Bassett, the coach, put him on the wing and gave him the freedom to go forward. Not only was he a ball winner, but he was also a ball receiver. He would set up a lot of scoring opportunities but he’d kick goals himself. He was a ready-made AFL player.”

There’s one goal that holds a special place in Redlegs’ folklore. Aish, the youngest man on the field in the 2012 decider, received the ball on the wing in the third quarter. He took three bounces, taunting West Adelaide with each stride, before sending the footy goalwards.

“The rest of the side got over to him and I reckon it would’ve made him feel part of the side and also like he’d contributed to the premiership,” Baynes recalled.

“The majority of players were really experienced, guys like Matt Suckling, Jace Bode and Brett Zorzi. They gave our younger guys the confidence and took away some of the worries of it being a big day and event.”

Some 20,000 Norwood supporters descended into delirium. For Aish, it was a prophecy fulfilled.

“Growing up, I wanted to be a Norwood footballer,” he said.

“The first thing I remember about Norwood Oval is watching (family) highlights and seeing people standing shoulder to shoulder, I think that’s one of the coolest things about the suburban grounds.

“I came here every time the senior men were training when I was 14 or 15, and I’d be up in the stands kicking the ball around and trying to be here as much as possible because they were my idols growing up.

“To play in a couple of premierships for the club, it was amazing. I’m connected here forever.”

The neutral clash between the Dockers and Suns has sold out. Baynes said it was a testament to his former club and the pride that many felt in the venue.

“During my time, we hosted a pre-season game between Port Adelaide and West Coast. It was fantastic not only for a suburban Adelaide venue to host a pre-season game but it was more significant for Norwood,” Baynes said.

“It proved a club like ours, with great tradition, was able to put on a major event. I think it probably reaffirmed in the minds of our junior players that Norwood was a stepping stone to the AFL.”

That pathway has been further strengthened by Aish’s continued contribution to Norwood.

“James was always one of the players who’d come back to the club during his time off between seasons,” Baynes said.

“Not only would he train during the off-season and use the gymnasium but if we had a session with our junior players or even the SANFLW, which was just starting, he’d provide whatever support he could to the programs we were running.

“The Aish name is significant to the history of the club. But to see James back in that environment and being quite happy to train with other SANFL players was fantastic.

“He’s a real Norwood person.”

Aish is also set to be a source of intel for Fremantle ahead of a season-defining clash for the 1-3 Dockers. Norwood Oval is the thinnest oval to host an AFL game. The ground is the same 165m length as Optus Stadium. But it’s just 110m wide, 20m skinnier than the Dockers’ usual confines.

“The crowd is over the top of you in a sense. It’s a pretty tightly designed oval. I think James will be a star on the day because he’ll know how to play that oval better than anyone,” Baynes said.

Aish, 27, said seeing Norwood packed with purple would evoke old memories as Fremantle attempt to make good of an extended stay in South Australia.

“Personally for me to be here (playing AFL), it’s pretty unique and I never saw it coming,” Aish said.

“Some of the best memories playing SANFL footy were the Friday night games here.

“To hear it’s close to selling out is really exciting and the atmosphere, no matter how many Freo fans or neutral fans there are, it’s going to be amazing and hopefully it’s a great night for everyone.”