John and Mark Noble overcome adversity to nominate for AFL mid-season draft

The road to elite football has not been easy for John and Mark Noble, but their perseverance is being rewarded with recognition for their emerging talents ahead of the mid-season AFL draft.

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West Adelaide wingman John Noble emphasises the word perseverance when he chats about the challenging path he has had to confront with his twin brother Mark.

Born “very, very” premature, the boys have had to jump, climb and crawl over numerous hurdles ever since medication was necessary just to keep them alive as “quite sick” babies.

The treatment had a side effect, causing asthma and the boys had trouble breathing as youngsters. That put a halt to the medication and slowed their growth.

Then came the legacy of their premature birth and the frustrations of their development being behind kids of the same age. As a 16-year old, Mark says their physique was more closely aligned to someone of 15, constantly being told they were too small.

“We were always overlooked as juniors,” said Mark, whose role at South Adelaide mirrors John’s at the Bloods. “It was not in our control, but we were always a year and a bit behind in our development.

“We were always looked over as being too small, a bit behind with our footy development as well. It was frustrating.

“Everyone’s journey is different. We had a lot of setbacks and just tried to fight it out, that is the way we have been brought up.

“We were told from 21 we would catch up and this year is the most important so far. We are starting to see all the hard work pay off which is nice.”

Mark and John Noble have emerged as class acts in the SANFL and have nominated for the AFL mid-season draft. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Perseverance is a good word. The 22-year old Noble siblings, sons of former Adelaide head of football David, have refused to be swayed from their dreams and ambitions and have never deviated from their mission to overcome their adversities to build careers of tremendous substance.

On Wednesday, they were nominated for the AFL mid-season draft medical screening in Melbourne. It means there has been interest from AFL clubs, who had to put forward their names.

How the draft on Monday night turns out is a mystery. There has been little, if any, interaction with clubs.

However, the fact their names are on the draft list is a reflection of their character and a reluctance to find short cuts in their search to discover their potential.

“To not be selected for any of those junior pathways was hard,” John said. “We just kept at it and perseverance has helped in our journey.

“I feel like I’m starting to understand my game.”

Growing maturity has also been a keen ingredient in their emergence as quality acts in the SANFL, while John also gave the AFL scouts another glimpse of his talents in the state victory over the WAFL in Perth.

That rising maturity was no more evident than the round six contest at Noarlunga Oval when the Panthers rescued a sloppy first half to over run the Bloods. A quick handshake and “chat later” was their brief engagement immediately after the final siren.

West's John Noble celebrates after kicking a goal. Picture: Tom Huntley

South's Mark Noble gets away from former North Adelaide now Port AFL player Connor Rozee last year. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Martin

John and Mark had always been extremely competitive. But that chat later meant a review of the game and their performances, toning down those competitive instincts to become allies in their development.

“This year we have been helping each other a lot,” Mark said. “We review games together and are constantly talking and watching vision. After that game we sat down that night and spoke about what we did well and didn’t do well.

“We are definitely more mature and have done a lot of growing up in the past 18 months. Getting our footy and life balance together, it helps when everything off field is going really well for each other and then on field starts taking care of itself.

“Definitely our relationship has grown and that is a maturity aspect And now we are seeing that come through with our footy as well.”

The pair played at the Bloods for four seasons before Mark switched to the Panthers last season hoping to expand his opportunities.

While it was a tough call to move clubs, his game has flourished at Noarlunga and he claims the Panthers have been amazing “for me”.

“Everything we did through the juniors was a good recipe for what we are putting together now,” Mark said. “We feel more confident with our ability and that is paying off on the park.

“The draft is only noise at this stage, I’ll just focus on my footy and whatever happens happens.”