WHILE coach Graeme Yeats reckons he could pass for a jockey, Nathan Allen hasn’t escaped the radar of Vic Country selectors.
After a series of good games for Dandenong Stingrays, Allen – all 67kgs – earned a late call up to the Vic Country squad.
“I’m pretty happy about that,” Allen said.
Yeats said Allen thoroughly deserved the chance to try out for the AFL Under 18 National Championships, which kicks off late next month.
“He could probably ride in one of those high weight races,” laughed Yeats, who added “and do a better job than some of those so-called jockeys.”
“He’s a little outside winger who has really elevated himself and improved his game immensely.”
Yeats said Allen exceeded everyone at the club’s expectations in his first season, so much so that he played 16 games last season including the finals and Grand Final.
He remembers well the first time Allen played his first game for the club.
“It was against Gold Coast up at Carrara and here was this scrawny little kid who showed a little bit on the (training) track and in our practice games,” Yeats said.
“We wanted some outside runners so we picked him and he adapted to the intensity and the level really well. He would have been in our best six in his first game.
“I think he would have gone close to being one of our best if not our best 17-year-old kid last year.”
As the season headed towards the finals, Allen, understandably, began to tire and Yeats considered dropping him.
But, Allen ensured his place in the Stingrays finals campaign with a very good performance against Oakleigh Chargers in the final home and away match.
Yeats guesstimated that Allen may have put on half a kilo, an estimate the 18-year-old is quick to correct.
“I reckon I’ve put on three to four kilos over summer,” he said. “There’s not much of me, but I’m trying to work on it.”
Allen said he learned much from playing with Tom Scully and Ryan Bastinac, the Stingrays two top AFL Draftees, last season.
“I just looked up to them and tried to do what they did,” Allen said.
Yeats said Allen continually finds the football and had been the club’s best player against Calder Cannons and the North Ballarat.
While he may have gathered more possessions against Calder, Yeats viewed Allen’s match against the Rebels as his best.
“We just thought for consistency throughout the game he was really important for us,” Yeats said.
“He’s working really hard and as a result he’s getting his hands on the football a lot. He goes to the right spots and seems to attract a lot of the ball.
“His pace is really important and he covers the ground so well. He ran a high 14 or low 15 in the Beep Test, he’s got great endurance.
“It’s always hard for kids who have come off pretty good seasons as 17-year-olds to replicate and improve. It’s really hard to improve, but he has really improved.
“He had a great pre-season, never missed a beat. He’s really consistent in his efforts and it just shows on the ground.”
Allen said he’s working hard to add contested possessions to his game, something which was a key part to his game against the Rebels.
He collected 22 possessions and laid six tackles to amass the maximum five TAC Cup Coaches award votes.
“With the confidence gained from last season, a good pre-season and a bigger body, it’s helped,” Allen said.
Last Modified on 06/05/2010 14:26