Star Cat delivers lessons on and off the field

JUNIOR sporting clubs across the region are continuing to reap the benefits of visits from elite footballers.

The Anglesea Football Club welcomed Geelong Cats key forward Shannon Neale to junior training last Wednesday, giving young players the chance to learn from someone who has reached the highest level of the game.

While player visits have become a regular feature of community football, their impact on aspiring juniors remains as strong as ever.

Spending time with the club’s under-12 side, Neale encouraged players to enjoy their football and reminded them it was OK to step away and try other sports before returning to the game.

Charlie Roberts, who has played football since under-9s, said meeting AFL players helped the team understand the different elements to football.

“We asked him a bunch of different questions and he gave us some hints,” Charlie said.

“He said to make sure you stay nice and focused on the game and make sure you’re very determined as well.”

Assistant coach Steve Roberts said visits from AFL players were always a highlight for the group and reinforced the message that talented footballers can come from any community.

He said the excitement generated by meeting senior players – particularly among young Geelong supporters – was great to see.

Roberts hopes the players will take on board some of the advice Neale shared about maintaining a healthy relationship with sport.

“He provided some background that he had played footy as a young kid, but then tried other sports – which he thought was useful – then came back to footy,” Roberts said.

“He encouraged them to do the same thing, to not get burned out too early.”

Five rounds into the junior season, Charlie said his team has come a long way.

After a slow start as players learned each other’s strengths, he said the group was beginning to click.

“At the start of the season, we didn’t really even know how far each of us could kick and now we’re really good together,” Charlie said.

“[I’m a ruck] and my rovers and ruck rovers in the midfield, they’re super good and we’ve got quite a few good backmen.”

Following the training session, Neale presented club president Paul Nigro and major sponsor Paula Fowler from Great Ocean Road Real Estate, with a $1,000 cheque courtesy of Red Energy.