Commonwealth Games decathlete Jake Stein set for GWS debut as code swap pays dividends
Five years after he represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games, debutant Jake Stein is intent on making the most of his opportunity with GWS Giants.
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Jake Stein is determined to hit the ground running today as he clears the final hurdle in the jump from decathlon medallist to AFL footy star.
The 25-year-old remembers shivering in the stands with a mate one winter in 2013, watching the Giants play in Canberra and thinking ‘geez, how good would it be on the other side of this fence one day’.
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Well, Sunday’s that day, as he runs out to make his AFL debut as the Giants tackle the North Melbourne Kangaroos in Hobart.
It’s been a tough road but as the man himself says: “Nothing in life worth having comes easy.”
The 25-year-old from Penrith, who comes from a family of diehard Panthers fans, represented Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games but after deciding to ditch 10 events for one new goal, says the two sporting worlds may be chalk and cheese but the game plan is the same.
“If you essentially go in half-arsed and think ‘it could happen, it could not’, you’re obviously never going to achieve it. It’s no different to setting goals for a 100m race,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
“You need to get out of the blocks and drive through, and get through that acceleration phase until you’re up and running and hold that through the finish line.
“I grew up playing rugby league and soccer so I guess I had some sort of team sport background.”
Stein’s connection to GWS came through his running coach John Quinn, the Giants’ inaugural head of academies and pathways manager.
“Once I started training with John I guess I was exposed more to AFL and the boys coming through (at GWS). Dylan Shiel, Toby Green, Adam Treloar. I remember doing a lot of running work with those boys when they were 17 and 18, watching them develop and progress in their sport. They were chasing their dream, I was chasing mine.”
When it became clear that it was time for a new sporting direction in 2016, Quinn opened the door but all the hard work to reach today’s debut still lay ahead.
“It took a little while to adapt and realise that’s there’s blokes around you to help you with everything you need,” Stein said. “These 45 blokes are not just your teammates but become a lot closer than that, they become your best mates, as close as brothers.
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“I feel I’ve come a very long way. The first year I was still learning how to play the game I guess. Last year I remember having a good chat with Leon (Cameron) and he said ‘you’ve had your year of developing, now you’re pretty much level-pegging with everyone else so now’s the time to really knuckle down and start to play good footy.’
“I took that on board and got more and more confidence each week.”
Originally published as Commonwealth Games decathlete Jake Stein set for GWS debut as code swap pays dividends
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