SA under-18 wingman Josh Shute out to prove he belongs at an AFL club
Sturt youngster Josh Shute has returned from lining up with SA at the national under-18 championships determine to prove he deserves a shot with an AFL club.
Picture: Deb Curtis
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Joshua Shute always tries to do extra things to help gain an edge.
The Sturt wingman wanted to boost his chances of being selected at November’s AFL national draft so chose to study part-time to ensure he had more opportunity to train.
His hard work is slowly paying off after lining up in all four of SA’s games during this month’s AFL under-18 national championships.
He was named in the best after the final game, in which he amassed 21 touches during the 17-point victory against the Allies in Melbourne last week.
“I’m studying a Bachelor of Health Science at Uni SA part-time just so I could have a bit more time to do a few extra recovery sessions and trainings throughout the week,” Shute, 18, says.
“I just wanted to do that bit extra than what I was already doing to get that edge.
“I’ve done a fair bit of training with the assistant coaches (at Sturt) and also do a bit of extra work at the gym which has been good to work on my speed.
“I’d love to play AFL – it’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid.”
The former Rostrevor student, who prides himself on strong decision-making and ball-use under pressure, has represented SA from under-12 level.
Shute, who has featured in seven reserves games with the Double Blues this season, is proud of SA’s efforts despite finishing the tournament with a 2-2 record.
“It was a bit disappointing with the losses – especially against Vic Country,” Shute, of Burnside, says.
“We probably could’ve won the championship if we had won that game but I suppose that’s how it goes.
“I thought I was pretty consistent over the four games.
“I played on the wing but then went to half-back and then on-ball.
“I’ve predominantly played on the wing so to get a bit of a taste of half-back was pretty good fun.”
Shute’S next goal is to impress the Double Blues’ selection committee and earn a senior debut:
“I’m really looking forward to continuing to chip away and hopefully get a league game in the latter part of the year.
“Hopefully I can finish off the league well – and then we’ll just see what happens with the draft.”