By Luis Narvaez
An undersized kid from Mackay may well be Australia's most elite sportsman.
David Armitage leads the AFL in disposals and has cemented himself as a top-tier star in the nation's biggest code.
But as his father Greg said, it was never a case of luck for the tenacious St Kilda Saint. Now, 26, Armitage is in his ninth year with the club.
"He (David) said he'd finally started maturing," Greg said.
Armitage is a leader at the club, captaining on occasions when usual skipper, fellow Queenslander, Nick Riewoldt is out.
Born and raised in Mackay, Armitage had to work hard to reach the peak, leaving home to complete high school in Brisbane and play with Morningside.
"It wasn't all beer and skittles," Greg said.
"It was pretty hard and I think we all cried ourselves to sleep for a while there, I know his mum (Annette) did."
Armitage's work ethic has driven him to the top, when all others doubted the kid from the north could make it in the southerners' game.
"It's often been said to him, that he wouldn't make it," Greg said.
Even after Armitage was drafted as the highly-touted ninth pick in 2006, his mates were sure he'd "be back in two weeks".
"It egged him on for sure," Greg said.
But despite great physical prowess, cracking the strong St Kilda side of the late 2000s was difficult.
"He had to do it the hard way and it's made him a stronger person," Greg said.
Armitage was named emergency in three grand finals, and remains driven to return the club to the biggest stage.
Fast forward some years and he has adopted a strict fitness and diet regime to be in the best shape of his life.
"When he was (in Mackay) at Christmas time I noticed he very much changed his diet," Greg said.
"He's gone (with) the paleo diet. They don't eat many carbohydrates and he's pretty fastidious about that.
"And with the training he is doing and the massive pre-season, he's now in the best physical shape in his life.
"He's been able to run out games a lot better. He's going as hard in the fourth quarter as he is in the first."
A born leader, Armitage has taken many of the young Saints under his wing.
"David is an easy going lad but when it comes to his sport he's quite intense," Greg said.
"He's exuberant and enjoys footy so much - the camaraderie, especially. I know he's a very popular member of the club and a bit of a practical joker."
Although they were last year's wooden-spooners, the Saints are on the way up.
The Saints announced their potential in style when Armitage had an amazing 45 disposals in their 55-point come-from-behind win against the Western Bulldogs in round six.
It could easily have been in different colours though. Greg revealed Richmond had made a serious first-round offer for Armitage.
"I'm not sure David would have gone," he said. "He loves the Saints and he'll die with that club, I'd say."
Armitage was again amongst his team's best, with 32 possessions, in their loss to the West Coast Eagles on Saturday.
Photo by Ross Setford - AAP
Last Modified on 02/06/2015 08:50