Luke Partington does his late father, Brian, proud by being drafted by West Coast
THEY didn’t get the chance to speak on Tuesday night, but Luke Partington knew that somewhere his late father, Brian, was beaming with pride.
THEY didn’t get the chance to speak on Tuesday night, but Luke Partington knew that somewhere his late father, Brian, was beaming with pride.
Tumby Bay and Norwood product Partington will this week head to Perth after the West Coast Eagles drafted him with pick 28 in the National Draft at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
To find his way onto an AFL list, the courageous midfielder had to overcome a family tragedy in 2015.
In February, Brian was killed in a mining accident in Roxby Downs, to where he had been commuting from the family home in Tumby Bay since 2008.
Partington had moved to Adelaide to pursue his AFL dream with Norwood but rushed back to be with his family.
For a time he struggled to find the strength to train but realised Brian, a huge influence on his footy career, would have wanted him to get back on the park.
He returned to Highbury in Adelaide’s northeast to live with his aunty and train at The Parade.
“He (Brian) would be more than proud at the moment,’’ said Partington, who watched the draft with family at Highbury. “This is reward for all the hard work that he put in with me and now I just want to make the most of it now and repay him.”
Partington did more than just return to the field this season. The inside midfielder played like a man possessed, earning All-Australian under-18 selection after a magnificent national carnival and playing six league games with the Redlegs.
By draft night he was rated as one of the best players in the draft pool.
His selection a mere formality, it was simply a matter of where he ended up.
“To be honest, coming into the draft I wasn’t that worried about who drafted me. I just wanted an opportunity and West Coast have given me that opportunity, so I just want to make the most of it now,’’ he said.
Partington had yet to receive any contact from the Eagles when interviewed last night but expected to move to Perth this week to begin pre-season with last year’s grand finalist.