James Aish Biography

James Aish signs a new three-year deal to remain with the Dockers until the end of 2025.

James Aish says his trust in new Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir convinced him to move to the Dockers.

"A large reason (for me coming) was my trust in him and the way I think he can develop me as a player and open up new opportunities for me now," Aish said.

"He was the backline coach for Collingwood, so I had two years with him. I think he backed me in as a player and often, post-injuries, I was straight back in I think largely due to him.

"I really respect the way he coaches and his philosophies as well. He puts all his faith into you. He doesn't worry about your mistakes. He just wants you to be confident, and he helps you essentially believe in yourself."

Collingwood trade James Aish to Fremantle.

The Dockers gave up a future second-round selection (on-traded from St Kilda) and a future fourth-round selection (on-traded from St Kilda) to Collingwood to land the backman.

In return, Fremantle received Aish plus pick No.69 and a future third-round selection.

Aish has agreed to a three-year deal with Freo.

"James was identified for his outside run as well as his ability to play at half-back," Fremantle list manager Mark Micallef said.

"We feel that his ball use and his competitiveness are also big assets he can bring to our football club."

Fremantle offers James Aish a three-year contract to head west.

New Dockers coach, and former Pies assistant, Justin Longmuir's relationship with Aish is understood to be a major driving force in the approach to the contracted defender.

Former No.7 draft pick James Aish reflects on his stop-start career so far.

"It's been a good journey but it hasn't gone exactly to plan like you'd expect it would for a top draft pick. Through various challenges I've learnt heaps and developed a lot as a person and as a player," Aish said.

"There's been injuries at annoying times, there's been some inconsistency and poor form which has led to being dropped at times, which is always frustrating, and amongst all that there have been patches of good play I've been happy with.

"It's a continual process and I'm just trying to stay in the moment and give it my best and see where it goes."

James Aish will be sidelined for more than a month with a PCL injury, sustained during Collingwood's 43-point loss to Richmond.

"It's a long-term injury. He'll be braced (his knee stabilised in a brace) for four weeks and then we'll have our doctors reassess that at the end of the four-week period, and if that's the case, we'll continue with that conservative approach of his rehab," Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said.

"If, at the four-week stage, it (Aish's knee) hasn't improved to the extent that we'd hoped for then there may be some sort of surgical intervention."

James Aish says he has recovered completely from three head knocks suffered in 2017.

"I had a bit of time off and it's all good now," he said.

"It's certainly not an issue going forward at this stage for me. I'm not worried about it at all.

"The more it's talked about and the more you read about it, you can think about it a bit more.

"It can become a bit of a worry, but I'm not thinking about it."

A full pre-season, clarity about his position and an honest off-season chat with the coach has left James Aish confident he's set to deliver on his potential in 2018.

The 22-year-old is at the crossroads, having played just 23 games in two seasons with Collingwood after leaving the Brisbane Lions at the end of his two-year draftee contract in 2015.

"This has been my first pre-season where I've had a proper run at it," Aish said.

"Physically, I just feel so much better and stronger, and I think it can only be beneficial, just getting consistency and hardening your body for the season."

Collingwood will be without young midfielder James Aish for at least two weeks after he underwent surgery on his fractured cheekbone.

"He came off second best, in terms of the injury, and he has had some surgery to pop that cheekbone out, which means he will miss two weeks," Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh said.

"He hasn’t had to have a plate put in it. It was a pretty straightforward procedure, which is good."

James Aish suffers a fractured cheekbone Collingwood's 18-point win over Hawthorn at the MCG.

The 21-year-old came off second best in a head clash with Hawthorn youngster Daniel Howe midway through the third quarter and went to hospital soon after for scans.

"He's extremely courageous and it shows with that act that he did there," Magpies teammate Adam Treloar said of Aish.

Dustin Martin will consider wearing a helmet this week against West Coast at the MCG in an attempt to protect his fractured cheekbone.

Martin, 25, was hurt in a clash with Collingwood midfielder James Aish during the first quarter but played out the game and collected 25 disposals and two goals.

Collingwood is set to book Tyson Goldsack and James Aish in for hip surgery after conducting post-season medical reviews with senior players.

After playing his third consecutive senior game with the Magpies, James Aish is confident his fledgling football career is now on the right track.

"[In the] early days, to be honest, I was just putting a lot of pressure on myself to play the exact role they needed, which sounds funny but I was focusing so much on the role that I wasn't actually playing instinctively or just going for the ball," Aish said.

"To put it simply, I have loved this season. It's brought challenges personally and for the team…but beyond all that I have enjoyed it.

"On the footy side I'm learning a lot and I am developing myself on the field, and then living-wise it's going really well and I am just enjoying being in Melbourne. It has been pretty positive for me."

Collingwood recruit James Aish is determined to bounce back after a disappointing second year he concedes was affected by the constant speculation about his future at the Brisbane Lions.

"Looking back it probably takes a little bit of a toll mentally and maybe a bit of the enjoyment," Aish said.

"It was just a build up of everything, but then when you're actually out there playing it's not an issue or an excuse."

The speculation wasn't all Aish had to deal with during the season.

He was dropped for round two, missed three games after breaking his jaw and then finished the season early with finger surgery.

"[I] learned to deal with setbacks. It was the first time I was really dropped. Just dealing with the adversity and trying to improve every day even though it is not always going your way … I guess you come out the other end stronger," Aish said.

James Aish has finally made his way to Collingwood in a complicated three-way trade that will also send Ryan Bastinac to the Brisbane Lions.

Aish endured an agonising wait to see whether the Brisbane Lions would grant his requested move to the Holden Centre, with the Lions, Magpies and North Melbourne signing off on the deal just 90 minutes before the trade period ended at 2pm on Thursday.

In the deal that followed drawn-out, and at times tense, negotiations between the Lions and Pies:

- Collingwood received Aish and pick No.34 and 53, and gave up picks No.26, 28, 47 and a 2016 second-round pick;
- The Lions received Bastinac and picks No.38 and 40, a 2016 second-round pick (St Kilda) and a 2016 third-round pick (North), and gave up Aish and pick No.17; and
- North received picks No.17, 26, 28 and 47, and gave up Bastinac and picks No.34, 38, 40, 53 and its 2016 third-round pick.

North Melbourne is circling Brisbane Lions midfielder James Aish despite the 19-year-old declaring Collingwood as his preferred destination.

"We really liked James [Aish] in his draft year and the interest has grown with the potential that Ryan [Bastinac] might move to Brisbane, but there’s still plenty to play out," Kangaroos list manager Cameron Joyce said.

"Once the conversations with Ryan happen with Brisbane then we’ll gain more information from that."

The Brisbane Lions look set to backflip on their vow not to trade midfielder James Aish after opening talks with Collingwood.

James Aish's manager Liam Pickering says he accepts his client may be forced into the draft if a deal can’t be struck between the Lions and Collingwood.

"If he doesn't get traded, there's obviously three options," Pickering told SEN radio.

"We'll have to work through all that. At the moment it's a long way off.

"We've requested a trade at Brisbane, and Collingwood will have to do a trade if it's to happen."

Collingwood football chief Neil Balme has blasted the Brisbane Lions' hardline stance on James Aish's trade request.

Aish informed the Lions of his desire to play for the Magpies in 2016, but the club rejected his request, instead offering the choice of a new deal to stay in Brisbane or to go into the pre-season draft where Carlton have the first pick.

"I think Collingwood are way down the list of priorities in terms of what happens here, but where's the individual's right?" Balme said.

"What's the right thing for the club to do? I mean, what sort of an environment would you be providing if you're making people stay?

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

The Brisbane Lions say they have no intention of trading James Aish despite the midfielder's declaration he wants to play for Collingwood.

After a bizarre and drawn-out process, Aish finally announced on Thursday – 33 days after the Lions' season ended – that he wanted to become a Magpie.

But the Lions are prepared to play hard ball on the 2013 No.7 NAB AFL Draft selection and force him back into the draft if he's determined to leave.

"We understand his position, but the club has no intention of trading James," said Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann.

"That's all we have to say on it right now."

Lions football director Leigh Matthews has given James Aish a simple ultimatum – re-sign or face going into the draft.

"James Aish will either be playing at the Lions or he'll be going into the draft, he won't be traded, that I can guarantee you," Matthews said.

Brisbane CEO Greg Swann backed Matthews, saying the Lions had been burnt too often in the past.

"Our view is, it's been a bit too easy to walk away from Brisbane and we probably haven't got the value for the people that have left," Swann said.

"The longer it goes, I think the more likely he is to stay.

"He's a good player, he's a good kid, he's an early draft pick and we'd absolutely like him to stay."

James Aish has given the Brisbane Lions a glimmer of hope he might extend his stay at the Gabba.

"I think he's genuinely still weighing up what he wants to do," Lions CEO Greg Swann said.

"I suppose we may have misread it early that because he didn't sign, we automatically assumed he was going, but in having some discussions with him, I think he is still considering the options he's got.

"We're hopeful he'll stay."

James Aish's horror season has finished, with the young Lion ruled out of the remaining six rounds with a finger injury.

The 19-year-old ruptured a tendon in a finger on his left hand during the loss to North Melbourne at the Gabba.

It is revealed that James Aish played out the Lions' clash against Saints with a broken jaw.

Aish was accidentally collected high by the hip of St Kilda ruckman Tom Hickey in a second-quarter marking contest and was taken from the field.

He passed a concussion test before returning.

Lions general manager of football Dean Warren said scans revealed there was a fracture and there was no definite timeframe on Aish's return, although he would not require surgery.

"We're waiting for reports to come through, but it's not a major fracture," Warren said.

"We don't expect him to be out for a long time, but it needs to heal."

Aish says there is no deadline for him to decide whether to remain at the Brisbane Lions next season.

With Aish out of contract at year's end, his manager Liam Pickering met Lions CEO Greg Swann and football manager Dean Warren to discuss the midfielder's future.

"It (the meeting) went really well. We talked about moving forward from here and my main aim is to get back playing," Aish said.

"With the contract, I'm leaving it to my manager and the club. They are going to keep on talking throughout the year.

"We don't have any set dates but they will continue talking … and I'll be left to keep trying to get a kick and get a few games in the seniors."

Lions chief executive Greg Swann insists that James Aish's absence from the Brisbane Lions squad is form-related and not linked to his contract status.

"It's a form-related issue," Swann told Channel Nine.

"(In) his last game against (West Coast) he had six possessions as a midfielder – that's not a lot of footy.

"People are trying to infer that we've dropped him because he hasn't signed his contract."

Brisbane Lions football director Leigh Matthews says the club is not resigned to losing young midfielder James Aish in the wake of reports the No.7 draft pick has met with Carlton.

Aish, who has been dropped twice this season, reportedly met with Carlton CEO Steven Trigg, football manager Andrew Mackay and list manager Stephen Silvagni in Brisbane this week.

"It's false to say that the Lions are resigned to him leaving, because that is not our position," Matthews said on 3AW.

"We regard James as a Brisbane player until James says he doesn't want to be a Brisbane player … it's early May."

Lions CEO Greg Swann concedes there's little chance emerging midfielder James Aish will remain at the club next year.

"There's no real reason for him not to sign I don't think. He likes being in Brisbane, he likes the boys, he has been drafted with a group of players that have all committed," Swann told Triple M.

"So you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work it out. We're not overly confident at this stage.

"He hasn't told Liam (Pickering, manager) he wants to leave, but our view is if he doesn't want to leave then re-sign and let's get on with it."

James Aish's manager Liam Pickering says Aish has not indicated he wants to switch clubs and could remain at the Lions beyond this year.

"Of course clubs would be interested in James if he decides to leave, but he hasn't told me he wants to leave," Pickering said.

"He's already there (contracted at the Lions) so he doesn't need to tell me he wants to stay, he needs to tell me he wants to leave and he hasn't told me that."'

Brisbane Lions coach Justin Leppitsch has warned the football world not to read too much into his dropping of James Aish to the reserves last week.

Aish, 19, is out of contract at the end of the season and the centre of much speculation around his future, but Leppitsch says the midfielder's demotion is part of any youngster's journey.

"I know there's a lot of hysteria around James," Leppitsch said.

"I think people forget it's ok for a player in your first couple of years to be dropped and come back into the team. He's no different.

"I thought the best thing for him last week was to go back, get a lot of ball in hand, get physical and be the main man, and it ticked that box."

Brisbane captain Tom Rockliff says the club will have cause to be alarmed if teammate James Aish has not re-signed with the club by round 16.

"Time will tell, and as the year plays out I'm sure they (the club) will get a better indication," Rockliff said.

"If you get to round 15 or 16 and he hasn't signed, you'd probably think he'll leave."

Talks on James Aish's football future remain on hold despite the Brisbane Lions' desire to start negotiations.

Aish is about to enter the final season of the standard two-year contract he signed when picked by the Lions at No.7 in the 2013 national draft.

"We'd like to start negotiating but it's on hold at the moment," Lions talent acquisition and retention manager Peter Schwab said.

"We'll just keep working away and hopefully something will happen."

The Brisbane Lions are hopeful they can retain young midfielder James Aish beyond this season, with the club reportedly prepared to offer a lucrative three-year contract to secure him.

"We expect to have some discussions with James' manager Liam Pickering by the end of March," Lions CEO Greg Swann told the Courier Mail.

"We are hopeful of getting a good result."

Adelaide have confirmed their interest in South Australian Lion James Aish who has yet to re-commit to Brisbane.

"All the expats, we watch them all a little closer probably because of that aspect," Adelaide head of football David Noble said.

"The 'come home' factor for us is so intrinsic, to get some expats back home would be great.

"We'd certainly keep an eye on all of those guys, for sure."

James Aish says he is in no hurry to negotiate a contract extension with the Lions.

"I've got a year to go, so I'm not too worried. I'm looking to have a big year and hoping the team can do as well as possible," Aish said.

"I can see how the public could perceive it and they want something done, but I'm not too stressed out at the moment."

Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann says there is no need to panic about whether the club can retain talented midfielder James Aish beyond 2015.

Swann remains hopeful that the 18-year-old will commit to the Lions soon after Christmas but says all the club can do is create a positive environment that makes him want to stay.

"We put an offer to him [and] we're hopeful that it will get done not long after Christmas," Swann told SEN radio.

"But look, we know how it works, if it (signing an extension) gets delayed again, and gets delayed again people will start to get worried."

James Aish earns the round six NAB AFL Rising Star nomination after tallying 25 disposals, including 12 contested, and a goal against St Kilda in Wellington on Anzac Day.

Aish admitted it annoyed him to be pigeonholed as an outside player when he was picked up at No.7 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft.

"It did a little bit, just because I knew I wasn't. I just haven't had an opportunity to do otherwise," Aish said.

"The club is really supportive of me and I think they're happy with me playing inside a bit more and I'm improving that aspect of my game.

"Like all the young boys, every week you're adjusting to the game a bit more and feeling a little bit more comfortable."

James Aish makes his AFL debut for Brisbane with 17 disposals (9 kicks and 8 handballs), 5 marks and 2 tackles in a 48-point loss to Hawthorn.

James Aish says moving to Brisbane to join Lions after being drafted has been challenging but enjoyable.

"Having to move into a new state and getting used to looking after yourself and the big demands of training, long hours at the club each day, it's been a big challenge but I'm really enjoying it and learning a lot," Aish said.

"I've loved it so far. The club's been really good, the players have been really good so far, they're a really good bunch of guys.

"We're very lucky with the coaches we've got on board as well. I think all of the other draftees are starting to learn the city and get to know it, and it's been good fun."

No.7 NAB AFL Draft pick James Aish says playing in a professional environment like Norwood in the SANFL has provided him with the groundwork to establish a successful AFL career.

"Norwood build a very strong culture - hopefully that gave me a taste of what a successful environment is like. Their professional standards should keep me in good stead here," Aish said.

"I have played against men for two years and trained with men and AFL-listed players, so I think that has given me a pretty good insight into what the AFL entails."