AFL Draft 2015: Carlton’s Jack Silvagni hopeful of earning senior chance in 2016
CARLTON father-son recruit Jack Silvagni hasn’t ruled out challenging for a senior AFL game next season after last night becoming the third member of his famous football family to join the Blues.
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CARLTON father-son recruit Jack Silvagni hasn’t ruled out challenging for a senior AFL game next season after last night becoming the third member of his famous football family to join the Blues.
Silvagni, who does not turn 18 until next month, was taken by the Blues with pick No.53 — after Carlton’s bitter rival Essendon bid for him — completing a childhood dream of joining the club where his father Stephen and grandfather Sergio were champions.
“It’s kind of surreal at the moment; you work towards something for 17 or 18 years of your life and then it happens,” Silvagni told the Herald Sun.
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“I can’t believe it has actually happened. In a way, it is hard to get your head around. I’ve been a Carlton supporter all of my life and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”
The impressive 190cm forward has vowed to work as hard as he can to make the grade with the Blues, saying that while he knows he has to become stronger, he hasn’t put a ceiling on what he can achieve as early as next season.
“I will give it everything I’ve got,” he said. “ For me, it is probably more about getting my fitness up and putting on some weight.”
“It would be a lie to say that I wouldn’t be pushing for a senior game at all. I know physically I am a fair way off the rigours of AFL footy, but having said that, I will be giving it everything to try and get a game (in 2016).”
Silvagni played only four games for Oakleigh Chargers this year due to school commitments at Xavier College and a shoulder injury, but he impressed in five games with Vic Metro, kicking six goals against WA.
Silvagni’s father, Stephen, is Carlton’s list manager, but removed himself from the process of selecting Jack, handing the responsibility to football manager Andrew McKay and the Blues’ recruiting staff.
“It’s been a dream of Jack’s, and he now gets the chance to live that dream,” Stephen Silvagni said.
“There are obviously no guarantees about how a career can go and how it might end up. But this is the first step and it enables him to live out his dream.”
Stephen Silvagni was the full-back in the AFL and the Carlton teams of the century after playing 312 games between 1985-2001 and being a part of two premierships.
His father Sergio Silvagni played 239 games for the Blues, was selected as ruck-rover in the club’s team of the century and also won two flags.
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Originally published as AFL Draft 2015: Carlton’s Jack Silvagni hopeful of earning senior chance in 2016
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