Article courtesy of Weekly Times
Former Balmain Docker, Marshall Lee recently completed a strenuous second pre-season training session of eight weeks over the summer months with the East Fremantle Football Club in Perth.
However the adventure in the west is over with Marshall back to his school desk at St Patrick's College in Ballarat, Victoria where he'll commence his final Year 12 studies.
But AFL football will be a big part of his 2013 lifestyle diary.
Marshall's journey has been long from his junior days at ELS Hall Oval North Ryde, where on Sunday mornings he first pulled on a boot at age four chasing elder brothers Mitchell and Morgan at the North Ryde Dockers.
"My juniors days at North Ryde will always be good memories," says Lee.
"I also had two seasons with Drummoyne U/16s and played at Drummoyne Oval while my two seasons with Ballarat U/18s were a steep learning curve."
Marshall was an outstanding junior – playing over 230 games and winning many awards and representative honours along the way.
He finished his junior football in Victoria with Redan Football Club in Ballarat.
Marshall has an ambition to play at the elite level and was in search of a higher standard of competition to improve his skills and knowledge of the game.
In 2010 Marshall was awarded a three year sports scholarship at St Patrick's College - encouraged to move south to engage the AFL code in very different conditions.
Returning home to Sydney on school holidays, Lee arranged his own inter-club clearance and pulled on the purple jumper with the white anchor to play with the Balmain Dockers.
Part of this continued relationship has been the 'Dockers Challenge' games in Western Australia where the Balmain boys have lined up against other Docker feeder clubs from Tasmania and Victoria in curtain raiser matches at Patersons Stadium, Subiaco before the main AFL game.
This year the Balmain Dockers will journey west again and take on the interstate opposition in April.
However Marshall won't make his fourth journey west as he has a very special appointment with the school AFL team - a three week tour of Ireland.
"I'm looking forward to a few games of the Gaelic Football code with the round ball," he said.
"It's certainly going to be one of many highlights of my three years at St Patrick's" said Marshall at his recent 18th birthday celebration at home.
On return in mid April he'll continue with school games against young Victorian players of elite level – ready to join the ranks of senior AFL the following season.
Some tough Saturday football with Redan awaits him as the Ballarat competition offers a unique experience of true country football in a big town.
Over the past 18 months Marshall has played over 80 games in three States with six different teams, won two premierships and has travelled over 22,000 kilometres!
Add the Ireland trip to this year's games log and the boy from Denistone is really 'flying' to live that AFL dream!
Last Modified on 04/03/2013 16:08
