Richmond set to hand shock debut to late rookie listing Sydney Stack

An AFL career seemed a million miles away when Sydney Stack was 'turfed' from the AIS AFL Academy and overlooked in the national and rookie drafts. His journey to a Richmond debut against GWS is one of courage and perseverance.

Sydney Stack is officially a Richmond player. Picture: Getty

Sydney Stack will complete a rags to riches story which seemed unlikely as recently as three months ago when he debuts for Richmond against GWS this weekend. 

The talented WA teenager was overlooked in both the national and rookie drafts last year, but earned a supplementary rookie listing at Richmond in February. 

Injuries to key personnel including Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt and Dylan Grimes' suspension have opened the door for Stack to become one of the bolters of the year. 

In February, Stack’s manager Paul Peos paid tribute to Richmond coach Damien Hardwick for opening his family home to the gifted WA product.

The Herald Sun revealed that Carlton also showed strong late interest in rookie-listing the young indigenous talent.

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Stack was ranked just outside Champion Data’s top-30 players in last year’s national draft talent pool but was shunned by all 18 clubs.

Stack lived with former West Coast and Brisbane Bears footballer Peos at stages this year after being cast out of the AFL Academy and WA state academy.

He also missed the first game of the Under-18 championships for over-celebrating his birthday.

But Peos said the penny finally dropped for 179cm Stack when he was overlooked by every club at the draft because of his off-field concerns.

He boarded with the Hardwicks pre-Christmas and for a week in January and is expected to live with development coach Xavier Clarke this year as he attempts to win a contract past the one-year rookie deal.

Sydney Stack trains hard with the Tigers. Picture: Cameron Grimes

Stack said last year he used football as an escape after growing up around violence and lacking stability for most of his childhood.

“He is a very good story,” Peos said.

“There have been a mountain of challenges along the way for Sydney since he’s been a young boy.

“He’s a pretty street-smart kid and for a long time he was making decisions on the run.

“And the best he could possibly do was keep himself fed and sheltered and participating in the sport he loved.

“He started the year in my house, he was turfed from the AIS (AFL Academy) and turfed from the state academy and he lost his licence early in the piece after just getting hold of it. “He was in a pretty low spot. And we put a few things in place and he slowly worked to get himself back in the state academy.

“He didn’t play the first game of the championships but from then onwards his football ability was clearly on show.”

Stack was an Under-18 All-Australian and averaged 138 rankings points per game in 11 WA Colts games, averaging 24 disposals, 15 contested possessions and eight tackles.

But he did not prepare well physically for the AFL combine and with Peos believing some clubs had interviewed him to confirm reasons to overlook him, he knew Stack might be in trouble.

The Tigers have signed Stack as a rookie. Picture: Getty Images

“Some principal members of his family were with him on draft day at the Perth football club and it would have been many years since those members of Syd’s family were all in the same room together,” Peos says.

“Late in the piece that night he held his head up high but he was pretty embarrassed. His sporting ability had always been able to get him in the team and get him loved and for the first time ever he realised that it wasn’t going to.

“I spoke to (Richmond list boss) Blair Hartley late on draft day and there was a potential consideration for a train-on option and to come into Damien’s house leading up to Christmas.”

Stack found the fitness work exhausting — but thrived on the match practice and scrimmages.

“He was pretty much throwing up every day, that was the feedback,” Peos said.

“He is a good kid, easy to like and pretty talkative and friendly. There is no bad streak in Sydney and Damien got the chance to understand him a lot better.

“Mostly he had got through on his charm but he had realised this was almost the last window for him.

“The Under-18s game came around after his birthday party the week before and he came back after his party with a tooth missing.

“He had to face a team sanction where the players said he shouldn’t be included so he hasn’t done it perfectly.

“It’s not a standard upbringing for a young kid coming through but he worked out a way to get by.”

Sydney Stack has been training with Richmond since December. Picture: Michael Klein

Richmond football boss Neil Balme said Stack had worked hard to win his spot on the Tigers list.

“We’re delighted to welcome Sydney to the Club, he’s worked really hard to secure a spot on the list, and we know he’ll continue to work hard to develop his football,” Balme said.

“Sydney’s got great speed, skill, and competes really hard, so we’re excited by what he’ll bring to the team.”

Respected recruiter and former Hawthorn list guru Gary Buckenara had the West Australian rated at the 36th best player in last year’s draft pool.

He has been likened to West Coast excitement machine Liam Ryan.

“Stack is a very balanced midfielder who’s hard on the inside and electrifying on the outside,” Buckenara wrote in a Herald Sun column before the draft.

“He’s undersized for an inside midfielder, so I would expect him to spend more time on the outside at AFL level to apply his defensive pressure on the ball carrier.

“Stack can play other roles too, and can hit the scoreboard but his balance between offence and defence is the most impressive aspect he’ll bring to the club that drafts him.

“He’s a project player at his size but there is an x-factor about him that will surely excite clubs in need of this type of player.”