Chris Yeend
Macedon's Matthew Dick is ready to take the AFL world by storm when he joins the Sydney Swans.
The 19-year-old Braemar College student was selected as pick 64 in the AFL National Draft last Thursday by the 2012 AFL premiers and he is determined to make proud everyone who has supported him in his quest for every young footballers' dream.
It didn't take long for Matt and his family to share the good news as the Braemar College student, who finished his VCE several weeks ago, went from watching the draft straight to the Braemar College Valedictory dinner. Needless to say, the news spread quickly and he was one of the big highlights of the night. It capped off a nervous wait as to whether he would win selection.
"The night was about what might or might not happen," proud dad Andrew said, "there was a bit of interest but we knew that he wouldn't go early."
Matt has been a steady and improving achiever with his football. He was a member of the Calder Cannons this year and was selected at full-back in the Vic Metro team for the Under 18s National Championships. He was in the leadership team at the Cannons. Like many young stars, he dabbled in other sports like basketball, soccer and cricket. It was the latter that proved to be one of his major strengths as he was played in the Central Highlands junior cricket team for four years. He was a handy pace bowler who regularly picked up wickets and was quite handy with the willow.
Matt enjoyed playing football at the Macedon Junior Football Club and was making a big impact as a dangerous onballer. He was selected in RDFL interleague teams and then joined the Calder Cannons. He was a member of the Under 16 Central Highlands team that played at the State Championship carnival last year at the time, but like many young talented athletes who are highly-regarded in multiple sports, something had to give.
"When he got into the (Calder) Cannons, he couldn't juggle both," Andrew said.
When he made the commitment to football over cricket, the 19-year-old had two major influences at the Macedon Football Netball Club who assisted in his development to make it to the highest level. Andrew paid great credit to Tony Smith who was a big influence in Matt's improvement and fellow Macedon stars Lachie Plowman and Dan Markworth being drafted over the past two years.
"Tony Smith really got things going," Andrew said, "there was a lot of hard work by the club that has helped all three players in the system.
"It says a lot for Macedon as a great community."
Andrew acknowledged the great efforts and commitment of RDFL junior development coordinator Rob Beatson who played a major role in supporting Matt and older brother Cal in their development at interleague level. Beatson spotted Matt at junior level for Macedon and was a great believer in his ability. Matt's first experience at interleague level wasn't favourable, he didn't take a shine to it immediately, but with a bit of encouragement, different roles and team success, he quickly developed a passion at playing representative football. While he played predominantly as a midfielder, Matt was tried in the backline while in the interleague program and developed a strong defensive mindset to compliment his dashing runs and accurate field kicking.
A BIG YEAR
It was a year of goal-setting for Matt as he tackled VCE and took on the football world with the Calder Cannons, selection in the Vic Metro team at the AFL Under 18 National Championships and the AFL Draft Combine in October. He set himself small goals throughout the year that helped him get through some testing periods.
"It was hard during his time with Vic Metro," Andrew said, "it was a bit of distraction."
Andrew said that on draft night, Matt was relieved to be picked and be rewarded for the milestones he had achieved throughout the year, big or small.
STEPPING UP TO NEXT LEVEL
Matt has enjoyed his time with the Calder Cannons throughout the year. The club was not just about football but working closely with younger players to manage and devote time to themselves and family. There was a focus in maturing players to assist them with life outside the game. His involvement with the leadership group was essential and he had the opportunity to captain the team throughout the year. He attended a leadership camp during the year and the skills gained will be vital in helping him find his feet with the Sydney Swans. Matt flew up to Sydney at the beginning of this week and starts training at his new home today. The local star may have flown under the radar compared to the O'Rourkes and Plowmans in the area but there is no doubt that the dashing midfielder-turned-backman will turn heads and make a stunning impact at AFL level.
Last Modified on 27/11/2012 11:47