AFL draft looms large for teenage sports sensation Patrick Weckert after choosing football over cricket

He was torn between the footy and cricket fields, but 18-year-old sports sensation Patrick Weckert has made his choice and is now preparing to nominate for the AFL draft.

Patrick Weckert at Woodville Oval after making his football versus cricket decision. Picture: Matt Turner

Football has won the intense tug of war for South Australian sports sensation Patrick Weckert.

The powerfully-built 18-year-old has chosen the oval-shaped Sherrin over the small red Kookaburra and now looms as one of the SANFL’s top 2023 AFL draft prospects.

“It was a tough decision to make between the two sports, football and cricket, but I’ve just made the call to give footy a crack because that’s where I feel my heart lies,’’ said Weckert, who played one league game for Woodville-West Torrens last year.

“Breaking the news to my cricket club (Woodville) and SACA wasn’t easy because I had a pretty good connection with them but they handled it well and I’m really confident with my decision.’’

Patrick Weckert at Woodville Oval. Picture: Matt Turner

Weckert, a strapping 191cm and 90kg, played his final game of serious cricket last month, just weeks after representing South Australia at the national under-19 championships.

SACA officials had rated him as one of the state’s most promising young fast bowlers, comparing his style to that of Australia captain Pat Cummins – a player he had modelled his game on.

But now they will rue the one that got away after his decision, which came earlier than expected, to focus on football in his draft year.

“I felt like I was dipping my toe in the water on both sides of the fence and there is only a limited amount of improvement you can see when you are half committing to both sports,’’ Weckert said.

Patrick Weckert at Prince Alfred College last year. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

“So I felt it was the right time to commit to footy and see where that can take me.

“While I was lucky enough to be in quite a few (underage state) programs with cricket, I kept thinking about footy all the time, so I knew that was where my heart was.

“If footy doesn't quite work out for me in the next few years I’ll have the option to drop back to cricket but at the moment I want to get stuck into my footy.’’

Which could be good news for Adelaide Crows fans.

Weckert, a strong-marking forward, revealed he had been working on his game closely with former Crows captain Taylor Walker in the past two years at Prince Alfred College and that Adelaide would be one of his two dream draft destinations, along with Carlton, the club he has long supported.

“Taylor Walker has been a big role model for me in the past couple of years in his support role with the PAC football program,’’ Weckert said.

“He’s taught me leadership qualities and helped with my forward craft, giving me some pointers on body positioning and leading patterns which have really helped.

“While it would be wicked to play for the Blues, I’ve been brought up around family that have gone for the Crows so, throw in Walker’s influence, it would be a dream to play for one of those two clubs.’’

A country farm boy who hails from near the mid-north town of Koolunga and has a passion for fishing, Weckert models his game on Carlton John Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow and Collingwood forward Brody Mihocek.

He said making an early call on his future had “definitely taken a big weight off my shoulders’’.