Dockers coach reckons he’s found a gem
FOR someone yet to play a senior AFL game, Fremantle’s Stephen Hill has just received a serious wrap.
Hill, the Dockers' first pick at last year's national draft, has provided Fremantle coach Mark Harvey some cause for excitement after Monday night's first intra-club match at Subiaco Oval.
Hill, 18, put in some moves Harvey likened to former AFL great Essendon's Michael Long. The signature moment came when Hill kicked his second goal in the second term. The No.3 draft pick side-stepped a would-be tackler, put on a burst of speed and drilled it through the big sticks from 35m out. It had Harvey reaching for the superlatives.
"He reminds me of some great Aboriginal players I've seen. Michael Long actually, that's how I see him," Harvey said, before qualifying his comments: "Look, I'm only saying he looks like him, I'm not saying he's as good as Michael. He's got that elusiveness about him. He brings other players into the game, too, which is a really good trait to have for a young player."
Harvey played nine seasons with Long at Windy Hill from 1989 and saw close-up the skinny kid from the Northern Territory develop into one of the game's great players. He can see those physical and now game-playing similarities in Hill.
"He's an exciting prospect, without going overboard (because) he's still got a lot to learn," the coach said, then added: "He'll play in two weeks' time against Richmond (in the NAB Cup)."
DARREN MONCRIEFF
Darren@AboriginalFootball.com.au
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Last Modified on 04/02/2009 12:38