After four matches in the North Ballarat Roosters line-up, rookie midfielder Nick Rippon is starting to feel at home in the Peter Jackson VFL.
While the Roosters sit ninth on the ladder with two wins from their five games, Rippon has made the adjustment from the TAC Cup to the VFL with relative ease.
The member of AFL Victoria’s 2013 VFL Academy has played all but one of the Roosters’ five matches in the senior line-up and has his sights set firmly on taking his footy to a new level this year.
After a stellar year in the TAC Cup last year that yielded the Rebels’ best and fairest trophy, Rippon began 2013 as Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald’s preferred 23rd player.
The rule allows each team to pick an additional player, as long as that player is under the age of 19 and has played no more than three matches as the nominated 23rd man.
“I played the first three games as the 23rd player and it was good to get them out of the way,” Rippon said.
“I went back to the AFL Victoria Development League the next week and managed to force my way into the VFL team for the Frankston game.”
Being picked in the Roosters best 22 was just the tonic for the 19-year-old as he gathered 23 possessions to help the men in black and white record a 45-point win over the Dolphins.
As a member of the AFL Victoria’s VFL Academy, Rippon receives additional development experiences to the high quality programs already offered at Peter Jackson VFL Clubs.
Along with 18 fellow young guns, he will have the benefit of an individually-tailored coaching and training program to ensure his name remains in the minds of AFL recruiters.
Earlier this week Academy head coach and former Geelong ruckman Darren Flannigan helped guide the players through an individual player review of the St Kilda v Carlton match.
Rippon was given the task of mapping the work of Saints on-baller Leigh Montagna which meant following his every move for the entire match.
“It was really interesting to focus on one player and it gave me a really good insight into what a midfielder at that level needs to do,” Rippon said.
“The amount of defensive running he did was the most noticeable thing. He was getting a pretty hard tag early on and the amount of running he did without the ball was really quite amazing.”
Before the match, Rippon and his fellow academy members had the chance to listen to the insights of members of Fremantle’s coaching and recruiting panel, an experience he said would prove invaluable as the season progresses.
“The Fremantle guys talked about how important a player’s running capacity is when they are recruiting and that’s a real focus of mine, to improve my fitness to an elite level.”
“I just want to make the most out of every opportunity I get and do everything possible to hopefully force my way on to an AFL list.”
Last Modified on 17/05/2013 13:05