By JARROD POTTER
BRANCHING out as a senior footballer is paying off for Endeavour Hills-based Blake Pearson.
Pearson, 19, a formerly playing for Doveton and Dandenong Stingrays, has excelled in his first full season of senior football after making a dual-switch of clubs.
He traded in his Doveton jersey for EFL Norwood and also put his hand up to play for VFL powerhouse Port Melbourne.
That switch resulted in three senior appearances for the Borough and also earned him a place in the VFL Young Guns Game on Sunday morning at North Port Oval – a curtain-raiser to the VFL preliminary final to showcase the best young talent in the VFL, TAC Cup and local leagues.
“It was pretty exciting to be honest – found out Tuesday night through an email,” Pearson said.
“It’s always good to be playing in these games against the best – Matt Suckling and Schoey (Ryan Schoenmakers) are playing in it and I’ll try to learn a bit off them and how they go about it.
Pearson has relished his leap into VFL football and loved the step up in standard.
“That was good – lot quicker than any other I play – had to get used to that,” Pearson said. “I didn’t get much of the ball but getting used to it.
“That was a tough first encounter and good to get a run and an opportunity.”
“It’s a real year of learning for me – learning the position I’m playing and what’s required from it. Learning from the likes of Pinwill, Valenti, Baird, all these blokes and how they go about training and match day.
He’s played most of this year in Port Melbourne’s Development League team and was unlucky enough to be eliminated from the finals after a 82-point defeat at the hands of Box Hill.
Pearson is hoping to earn a place as the 23rd man for the Borough in its senior finals series, but is happy to take his chances in the senior team as they come.
“Development has been good – once you get towards the end of the season and coming into finals – the two tops teams plus Port Melbourne have been at a higher standard,” Pearson said. “We were knocked out by Box Hill on the weekend – four points down at half time and they kicked away and won by about 15 goals.
“I just want to keep playing well – the senior side is still in the finals – playing Footscray this week – hopefully I can play well, impress Ayresey (Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres) and can play finals in the ones as the 23rd man and see what happens.”
Other local footballers to feature in the Young Guns match are former Dandenong Stingrays Josh Pickess (Frankston) and Dale Gawley (Casey Scorpions), Narre Warren alumnus James Munro (Sandringham Zebras) and former Beaconsfield midfielder Jake Aarts.
