Justin Peckett and the Pines Football Club can take a lot of credit for Robbie Clements fast start to his VFL career.
The pint-sized Clements, who would struggle to see over the bar on his tip-toes, started his football career with the Red Hill juniors where his attack on the footy more than made up for his lack of size.
But upon completing under 16s, Clements would follow Peninsula School coach Jason Hammond to Karingal and immediately break into the senior team. In his first game he quickly learned that his hardness would need to go to a new level.
“In my first game we played Pines and it was pretty physical, I got thrown over the fence at one point! It was a pretty good welcome for a 16 year old. It put me off a little bit, but not for long,” Clements said.
Indeed, he quickly found his feet, and Clements points to the leadership of 252-game St Kilda veteran Peckett as one major reason for his rapid progress. “Playing with Justin Peckett was really good for me,” he said.
“I was straight out of junior footy and it gave me someone to try and follow. He just talks a lot out on the field, he would direct me where to go and I learned a lot from that. He is also a really good trainer, very professional, I think I picked up a lot from that too,” the quietly spoken Clements added.
Having proved himself as an MPNFL player, the 19 year old decided to head to Frankston Park and see how he would shape up in the VFL. After a good start things started to teeter.
“I felt really welcome at the club. You notice all the young blokes there, and no one feels intimidated,” he said. “In the intra club matches I did pretty well, but when we got to the proper practice matches I was just blown away by the speed.”
Clements did enough to earn a place in round one, but still adjusting to the pace of the VFL game he didn’t feel at ease in the senior team. “I thought I was doing ok, but not great, and each week I thought I might be dropped.
“The names of the guys I was playing against was a big thing then as well, I used to look up all the AFL guys each week. Now I don’t worry about that.”
Coach Simon Goosey calls him the “Gnome”, and he has certainly become a permanent installation in the Dolphins seniors.
Pushed further though, Clements reveals it is simply what he learned at Red Hill, from Justin Peckett and from teams like the Pines that is holding him in good stead. “My main thing has always been tackling hard and being first in at the ball, and that is what I am still trying to do.”
And the boy from Balnarring says he is living out a bit of a football dream. “As a kid I’d always come down on a Sunday and watched Frankston with my mates,” he said. “Goose told me before Christmas that I was going to get signed, it was a real thrill.
“My family have always followed my footy and they were absolutely wrapped, they were all very proud.”
Not surprisingly, given the way he plays his footy, Clements is determined to make sure he isn’t a flash in the pan. ”I want to keep playing at this level, definitely. I want to help the team win a few more games.
“When we won at Coburg, I have never experienced that sort of feeling before, that emotion. I definitely want to experience that plenty more times.”
Paul Kennedy
Last Modified on 05/08/2011 07:54