Kain Proctor reckons he has big shoes to fill but those who know him well say that -off field at least- he has managed to keep them firmly planted on the ground.
Ten months ago 18 year old Kain moved from Melbourne to Shepparton and a month later he and his partner welcomed a son, Jarrahly, into the world.
Kain now juggles full time training with the equally exhausting job of fatherhood: his natural fitness coming in handy as he braves Shepparton’s icy winter training sessions several times a week.
Coming from what he describes as a family of “sports fanatics”, including three younger brothers, it’s inevitable that comparisons are drawn between Kain and his father, Lionel Proctor, who played for the Richmond Football Club from 1998-2001.
“I'm pretty used to it now, but it does put a little pressure on me because it gives me pretty big shoes to fill… he’s given me pieces of advice and probably the big one would be ‘don't make any decisions you'll regret because you'll get over failure but regret is forever’” .
Kain has already been involved with the Richmond Football Club through the Laguntas Program, which aims to provide a pathway to the AFL for talented young Indigenous players. The program is supported by the AFL and the Korin Gomandji Institute which is based at Richmond FC using the club’s training facilities to give young players a taste of the big time.
Last year, after two years in the program, Kain as captain- along with former Brisbane Lions triple premiership player Chris Johnson as coach- lead the Laguntas to victory over the Victorian Country U16s by eight goals. It was through Kain’s performance both on and off field that he was given the opportunity to take part in the VFL pre season with Richmond FC. He’s played with the Northern Knights squad as part of the TAC Cup and last year played in the Dreamtime at the ‘G curtain raiser.
“It’s such an awesome program. I’ve got so much out of Laguntas and it’s helped me a lot with leadership while giving me an inside look at what it means to be an elite footballer. I’ve been lucky enough to have a few mentors but I think the big ones would be my coaches and players that have played a high level league, they've all helped somehow either giving me tips or pointing me the right way.”
AFL Victoria Indigenous Program Manager Aaron Clark has known Kain since he was 14 and says: “With a young family and relocating to Shepparton, Kain has shown a lot of maturity and taken this all in his stride, with his resilience being a strong point of who he is.
“Although not the tallest he makes up with a big heart and elite running ability.
“His ability to be a young leader within his peers has really stood out as has his ability to relate to people from across the country and be a role model on how he goes about his life. He’s a great young proud Aboriginal man.”
Kain says it’s this exposure to opportunity that is a key difference to his time in footy and his dad’s and although Aaron Clark thinks Kain will be ready to transition into VFL football within a year or so Kain is slightly more cautious about the future.
“I'm a Richmond supporter too, but it's a long shot yet. I hope I am lucky enough to get the chance be on an AFL list…anywhere.”
Last Modified on 27/09/2016 17:55