Footy-loving family of Dylan Stephens love South Australia but are ready to embrace the top draft prospect’s next move wherever it may be
Footy has been in the Stephens’ blood ‘forever’ and while it’s been an enjoyable one, the ride to the Draft for Dylan’s parents, Robert and Ollie, has been an all-consuming one. But they are ready to embrace the next move.
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The family of Norwood young gun Dylan Stephens are footy tragics but, while they’ve embraced the past 12 months, Wednesday night’s draft couldn’t come quick enough.
“I’ve actually been clock watching, the last few days have dragged,” Dylan’s father Robert joked from the family’s Mildura home.
“I’m looking forward to it but it’s been a bloody long journey.
Ever since his phone lit up with family and friends asking about Dylan’s draft prosects, following an episode of the draft-focused TV show Future Stars in 2018, it’s consumed him.
“It was that day I went ‘this really is a possibility now’ and I’ve been really consumed with what goes on and the draft ever since,” Robert said.
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“Footy has been in our blood forever.
“You can’t help it if you are a footy tragic like we all are.”
“I’m a bit of a footy head,” he says.
“The past five or six years, given it’s a dream of mine, the draft is something I’ve been really interested in.
“Just because this year I’m lucky enough to be a part of it is not going to stop me reading in to it.”
According to Robert, the signs Dylan would get to live that childhood dream of playing in the AFL have been around for a while.
“From a really young age, he was just sport, sport, sport,” Robert explained.
“I can remember clearly when he was really small, I said to Ollie (Dylan’s mum) this kid’s hand-eye coordination is really bloody good’.
“He was a kid who always had a ball in his hand, especially a footy.
“Even if he didn’t have one, he would walk around giving fake handballs.
“As he got older and started to go into school and sport, the athleticism came out and he’s always played above his age.”
Dylan just didn’t play against kids older than him, he dominated, winning the under-12 league medal for Red Cliffs in the Sunraysia Football League.
His performance that year didn’t go unnoticed either as St Peter’s former first XVIII coach Darren Trevena – and a footy scholarship – came calling.
“There was about three weeks before school was starting, I had finished year 8, going into year 9 and I got a phone call to come over,” Dylan recalled.
“I think he was 13 at the time and we (Rob and Ollie) were out the back, having a beer, as you do, Robert said. “And the Phone rang”.
Initially, seeing as the new school year was just around the corner, Dylan wanted to give it another 12 months but his thinking quickly changed.
“He came back out 10 minutes later and said ‘actually, no, I’ve changed my mind, let’s do it’,” Robert said.
“We were really happy that he wanted to do it.
“I love the South Australian pathway idea, always have and as soon as it was offered, I just thought it was a great opportunity.
“We’ve always let the kids, with our guidance, make their own calls and, even at that young age, it was his decision.”
Dylan experienced team success at Walkerville Football Club and St Peter’s during his early years in Adelaide but it’s been his development at Norwood which has seen the classy midfielder, in the mould of Giants star Josh Kelly, find his way to the pointy-end of the draft.
This year, the 18-year-old played 13 league games for the Redlegs, winning 20 disposals or more in five of his final nine appearances and was so impressive a Norwood insider said Stephens is the best junior talent to come out of the Parade in more than a decade.
Despite the daunting nature of the transition and the first visit, Dylan – the youngest of three kids – said the decision was the best he’s ever made.
The family, who run the Hattah Roadhouse, 45 minutes from Mildura, agrees, noting the love not just Dylan, but the family, share for their adopted state.
“It’s been such a great journey,” Robert, who along Ollie, only missed seeing four games live in 2019, said.
“The SA people, it just wouldn’t have happened without them, I can assure you.
“He’s got two families – one here which is us and he's got another big family over there that have looked after him so well.
“Victorians we might be but I’ll tell you what, we can’t call ourselves South Australians because we don’t live there, but we sort of are.
“We’ve embraced the place, we just love it.”
The ideal scenario would be for Dylan to land at the Crows at No. 6 or Carlton at No. 9, given the family bleed Navy Blue.
But Robert is confident Dylan is ready for any situation.
“I’d love it to happen (Dylan to the Crows) but he will be fine,” Robert said.
“We moved to Melbourne when he was playing under 12s, we spent one year there for work.
“The family was hesitant to begin with but at the end of the 12 months, he didn’t want to leave, he wanted to say.
“He was entrenched in a school, entrenched in a footy club.
“He will adjust to wherever it is.”
“I’d loved to stay in SA. I loved it the past four or five years. I’ve made some great friendships along the way, it would be great to stay close to them,” Dylan said.
“(but) the idea of moving away is exciting.”
The long wait is almost over for the Stephens family and the next all-consuming journey is about to begin with Robert declaring “we’ll embrace whoever it is”.