The AFL Sydney Round 7 Rising Star nominee is Nathan Cooper from Pennant Hills.
Nathan is a Rugby League prodigy who saw the light and switched codes to play Australian Rules Football. At 15, he was playing for the Parramatta Eels league club on Saturdays in the Harold Matthews Cup (an Under 16 competition), and playing Aussie Rules on Sundays with local junior club Westbrook Bulldogs. He played two seasons with Westbrook before switching to Baulkham Hills in order to play Under 16 Division 1 football in 2013.
In 2014, he joined Pennant Hills AFC, played Under 19s where he kicked 39 goals in 12 matches; the grade’s leading goal-kicker. He is a member of the Swans Academy and played NSW/ACT U18 RAMs as an under-age player in 2014 and was selected again in 2015. He kicked the winning goal in the RAMs victory over the Western Jets in the 2015 TAC Cup match played in April.
He debuted with the Pennant Hills Premier Division team in the Round 2 match against Manly Giants and has played 5 out of 7 matches so far. In the Round 6 drawn match against Sydney University he kicked his first senior goal, followed up by 3 important second half goals in Pennant Hills come from behind win against UTS.
Still only 17, Nathan has the perfect body shape for a footballer … tall, lean and athletic. He’s fast, has a good jump and can mark well overhead. Unsurprisingly, given his rugby league background, he’s also a very good tackler. He’s a versatile player, comfortable in either the forwards or backs. For someone with limited experience he has grown quickly in the sport and his obvious talent has excellent development potential. He aspires to play football at the highest level.
For Premier Division Coach, Chris Yard, Nathan has acquitted himself well and is developing into a valuable addition to the senior side. He has a strong desire to learn and to improve his skills and frequently seeks out feedback on his performances. We watch with interest his development and progress over the coming weeks and months.
Last Modified on 27/05/2015 13:36
