GEELONG Falcons midfielder Charlie Hanegraaf says he’ll treat Sunday’s AFL under-18 National Championships clash with Victoria Metro like a grand final as Victoria Country looks to finish the carnival on a high.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old has played two of Country’s three matches, averaging 17.5 disposals and a goal a game after fulfilling a long-held ambition of representing the Big V.<\/p>\n
“I can’t wait,” Hanegraaf said. “It’s pretty much my grand final, to be honest.”<\/p>\n
Missing out on Victoria Country selection at under-16 level only fuelled Hanegraaf’s determination to earn a place in this year’s squad.<\/p>\n
“When I missed out in under-16s, I got to work,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I’ve met lots of boys and made stronger connections with so many different kids and it’s been a great experience that I’ll cherish forever.”<\/p>\n
He said the championships had exposed him to a faster level of football and credited Falcons coach and Country assistant Paul Corrigan with helping him adapt.<\/p>\n
“It moves so quick,” he said.<\/p>\n
“You’ve just got to go and you’ve got to transition quick and if you don’t, you won’t get near [the ball].<\/p>\n
“I’ve done a lot of vision and stuff with [Corrigan] and he’s taught me a lot about starting positions and how to get yourself involved early on and when I roll forward, what to do.<\/p>\n
“He’s helped massively for my development.”<\/p>\n
With this year’s AFL draft looming, Hanegraaf said he was focused on improving his football rather than outside expectations.<\/p>\n
“I play footy because I enjoy it \u2013 it’s fun \u2013 so I try to keep all that stuff away from me and just try develop my personal game,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Wherever it goes, it goes, but in the end, I’m trying to make myself better and that’s all I really focus on.”<\/p>\n
Victoria Country takes on Victoria Metro at Mars Stadium in Ballarat from noon on Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GEELONG Falcons midfielder Charlie Hanegraaf says he’ll treat Sunday’s AFL under-18 National Championships clash with Victoria Metro like a grand final as Victoria Country looks to finish the carnival on a high. The 17-year-old has played two of Country’s three matches, averaging 17.5 disposals and a goal a game after fulfilling a long-held ambition of […]<\/p>\n