He’s athletic, a little bit cheeky and very tall. But Harry Ramm isn’t exactly what you’d expect from a 202-centimetre 18-year-old getting his first shot in an AFL system. 

He’s not just a footy-mad kid – he’s clever, hard-working and mature, particularly considering he's a teenager who’s recently been thrust into the spotlight. 

Since arriving at Alberton in the mid-season draft, Ramm has garnered a following from Power fans. They’ve been busy in the comments, calling on selectors to give the youngster a shot at the top level before the season is through. 

And the former Glenelg key defender has already shown promising glimpses of what he’s capable of, as he continues preparing his mind and body for the rigors of AFL football. 

“I’ve found it pretty good, to be honest,” Ramm said of his entry into his new football club. 

“I think they definitely set me up well at Glenelg because they had a good AFL history with all the older boys. That club definitely helped me and matured me a bit more.” 

Born and bred in Adelaide, Ramm was a good student who loved school, and throughout his time at Sacred Heart, had both intellect and sporting prowess in spades. 

He always wanted options for his future, and he knew obtaining a strong year 12 score would hold him in good stead, should his AFL dream not eventuate.  

“I did enjoy my school,” he said. 

“I took it pretty seriously, I tried to get good grades. I sort of wanted to go down a pathway similar to my dad, which was engineering. And I just tried to get a good ATAR in year 12 and set myself up so I could have multiple different options.” 

A score in the mid-90s saw Ramm accepted into mechanical engineering, which he was relieved to achieve, given his draft year didn’t quite go to plan. 

The towering teenager spoke with most AFL clubs throughout his time in the state program, but his fitness and form wasn’t as consistent in his 18s year as he hoped it would be. 

“I thought I'd be a pretty good chance (to be drafted), because I was playing pretty well at the start of the season, and then I had a few niggles pop up with my ankle,” he recalled. 

“I was trying to manage that, and then hit a little slump in my performances. I started to pick up a little bit towards the back end of the year, and I thought I'd put myself in a good spot to get picked up, but it didn't happen.” 

The ankle issue that resurfaced stemmed from a serious injury sustained playing school football the previous year, which kept him out of sport for some time. 

“I was playing a school footy game at St Ignatius, and it was the first quarter, my first game of First XVIIIs footy, and I went up for a marking contest and our ruckman landed straight on my ankle and snapped it,” he said. 

“It was not good. I got up and tried to put weight on it. I just couldn't, and I just ended up hobbling off. I knew it was something pretty bad. 

“I had a cast up to my knee for probably three or four weeks, and this was my first time actually going through proper rehab, because I hadn't been injured before that, so it was all a bit new to me. I just tried to do everything I could, and I tried to do stuff that I hadn't done before, like experiment in the gym a bit more, trying to get my upper body a bit stronger, because I thought it's a good opportunity to improve other areas outside of footy.” 

His under 18s championships campaign also came with a wake-up call, which he used as motivation to shift his mindset and to ultimately land him on an AFL list. 

“I played the first three games, and on the fourth game, I got dropped, which I was pretty disappointed about,” Ramm said. 

“Ever since I got dropped from that game, I made it my mission to prove them wrong. To show them that they shouldn't have dropped me. That was a key thing on my mind in pre-season.” 

As a key position player, Ramm, like many of his vertically gifted counterparts, seems to come with the tag of needing ‘a bit longer to develop’. 

And while he’s already making good progress, his aim now is to put on some more size. 

“I think at the start of the year, my focus was definitely to get a bit bigger in the gym,” he said. 

“And they had a good program set up (at Glenelg) to help me, which was a bit of a step up from 18s, because I hadn't really done much gym before that. And then coming here, it's stepped up another level. I'm just trying to be in there as much as possible, and do all the right things to get stronger and bigger.” 

Growing up in Glengowrie, before moving to Brighton at age 12, Ramm had his dad, mum and younger brother Connor, who is now in his final year of school. 

His parents and brother have been hugely influential on where he is today, but when asked about his biggest supporters, he instantly names his grandfather and late great grandfather.  

“My family are all pretty proud,” Ramm said. 

“My pop loves footy, so he loved it when I got drafted. He coached at a few SANFL clubs and he always gave me a bit of advice in juniors. He'd pull me into a shed and get out the oval (whiteboard) and draw diagrams and stuff for me. He can't stop talking about it. 

“My great grandpa would always ask me how my footy was going. I had a good connection with him and I loved having those chats with him.  

“He has since passed away, so he never saw me get drafted. I’m playing for him a bit.”