OOM AFL prospect Tom Scully is ignoring the hype about him being this year’s likely number-one draft pick.
And that spells nothing but trouble for his opponents when Victoria Metro starts its National Under-18 Championships campaign against Victoria Country next week.
Berwick-based Scully, who turned 18 last Friday, is almost certain to earn the Metro captaincy, just as he did at under-16 level when he shared the Kevin Sheehan Medal for the best Division One player at the 2007 championships.
The Dandenong Stingrays midfielder backed up that performance in his first experience of the National Under-18 Championships last year when he was the only non-draftable player to earn an All-Australian berth.
But Scully, as usual, is not interested in talking about individual accolades ahead of this year’s instalment.
“You don’t go into a championships thinking about All-Australian or individual honours because it’s all about doing your part for the team,” the former Narre Warren and Berwick junior said. “If you can do that it obviously helps your individual performance, but it’s all team-oriented stuff.”
Scully, a Richmond fan, is eager to enter AFL ranks and isn’t bothered where he ends up.
“I’m happy to play anywhere. Any opportunity you get on an AFL list, that’s all I want to do – just make an AFL list,” he said.
>>> Read the full story in this week’s Pakenham Gazette.
– Marc McGowan
