Joel Amartey extends Beaumaris connection to Sydney Swans
What do Sydney Swans players Cal Sinclair, Oli Florent, Hayden McLean and Joel Amartey have in common? They all played junior football for Beaumaris Sharks.
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When Joel Amartey made his AFL debut for Sydney last Sunday, cheers for the red and the white went up in Beaumaris.
Again.
Amartey became the fourth former Beaumaris Sharks junior to play for Sydney this year, following Cal Sinclair, Oli Florent and Hayden McLean into the senior team.
President Terry Lucas said it was remarkable that a local Victorian football club had such a strong representation at one AFL club, particularly interstate.
“We follow the Swannies very closely now,’’ he said.
“All these kids went through our club and we’re all proud of what they’re doing. The number of texts I got when Hayden got a game last year — after he’d missed two years of getting drafted and stuck at it — the local support was terrific and it was the same with Joel.
“I wish the Swans knew just how many people are watching them and supporting them because of these boys from our club. They’ve got a big fan base down in Beaumaris.’’
Newcomer Amartey was taken by the Swans in the November, 2017 rookie draft after an impressive season with Sandringham Dragons.
He was part of the Beaumaris Under 17 Division 1 premiership team in 2016 and that year also came fourth in the South Metro league best and fairest.
McLean played all his junior football with the Sharks and had some senior games under Guy McKenna in 2018. He went on to Sandringham in the VFL and then South Adelaide in the SANFL, from where he was drafted.
Florent also played juniors, Under 19s and senior football with Beauie, and was drafted from the Dragons just a few weeks after his father, Andrew, died of cancer.
“Oli’s story and his resilience has inspired so many,’’ Lucas said.
McLean’s route to the AFL was similar to that of fellow big man Sinclair, who had stints in the VFL and WAFL before being drafted by West Coast Eagles.
He landed at Sydney in 2016, and in the years since three other “Beauie’’ boys have joined him at the Swans.
Beaumaris also has two of its former juniors at Hawthorn: premiership forward Jack Gunston and midfielder Jack Scrimshaw.
Lucas takes a particularly close interest in Scrimshaw.
“He played from Under 9s and all the way through to Under 16s, and I was fortunate to coach Jack in his first two years in the Under 9s,’’ he said.
“He was always a good talent, and he’s going to be a terrific player for Hawthorn going forward.’’
He said Florent and Scrimshaw had been “exceptional’’ in returning to the club.
“They remember their roots. They’re terrific young men,’’ Lucas said.
He said the club had more prospects coming through and hoped to soon increase from 27 the number of Beaumaris players to go on to the AFL.
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