Carlton’s No. 1 draft pick Sam Walsh gives his advice to this year’s top crop
He shattered records in his first AFL campaign and Carlton’s No. 1 draft pick Sam Walsh has some timely advice for this year’s top crop. Here’s what he learned from his first year in navy blue.
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Last year’s No. 1 draft pick Sam Walsh has given this year’s draftees timely advice ahead of the national draft — you only get your first year in the AFL once so make it count.
As the Carlton young gun prepares to hand over the reins to a new No. 1 selection in tomorrow’s national draft, Walsh told this year’s crop of budding new stars not to place any limitations on themselves as they prepare to launch their AFL careers.
Walsh should know, having starred in his first season in the AFL to claim the league’s Rising Star award and was also named the AFL Players Association’s best first-year player.
“The biggest piece of advice would be don’t put any limitations on what you can do,” Walsh said.
“I think don’t let your mindset hold you back, just go in with the confidence to train hard and earn the respect of your teammates and from there you will be able to learn so much off them and you will provide so much energy for the group being a young draftee.
“Definitely don’t take the opportunity lightly, you only get your first year once. You may as well give it your best crack.
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“For me, personally I have always wanted to train the way how I wanted to play. You get rewards if you work hard and that’s definitely true, especially at AFL level.
“You are competing against guys that want it just as much as you do so you have got to find the extra one percenters that are going to work in your favour.”
Becoming the first Carlton player to win the Rising Star award in its 27-year history, Walsh played in every game for the Blues in a standout debut season.
The 19-year-old broke the disposal record for a first-year player since Champion Data began recording statistics in 1999, amassing 554 disposals in his 22 games at an average of 25.2.
But the former Geelong Falcon admitted making the transition to the AFL had been a big leap from the under-18s.
“It’s obviously a very big time in your life when you are making that transition, you go from pretty much doing part-time football locally to professional level,” Walsh said.
“The step up was obviously huge in terms of training loads … you are on mentally a lot of the time when you’re at the club so it becomes very draining because you are not used to that.
“Then to finally get the chance to play AFL football, the pace and the pressure is just extreme so all the work you do on your skill level and your fitness and getting your body into shape all comes into play when you are playing the game at the highest level.”
Reflecting on the night his AFL dream became a reality, Walsh said it was moment that would stay with him forever.
“I will never forget is the draft night and how good a feeling it was,” Walsh said.
“The lead up I was very nervous, you have a million thoughts going through your head about where I’m going to go and how I’m going to fit in and the impression you want to make.
“For me when my name was called I was just elated, you put in so much hard work from a young age for your dream of getting the opportunity at the highest level so for that to be realised is a great feeling.”
Originally published as Carlton’s No. 1 draft pick Sam Walsh gives his advice to this year’s top crop