Nick Blakey boosts his chances of a Round 1 debut after an impressive trial game performance
Swans son of a gun Nick Blakey has bolted into contention for a shock Round 1 debut after an impressive practice match performance as Sydney refuses to rush back Lance Franklin.
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Swans son of a gun Nick Blakey has bolted into contention for a shock Round 1 debut as Sydney refuses to rush back superstar forward Lance Franklin.
Excitement machine Blakey kicked three goals in an impressive performance against GWS in Friday’s trial match at Blacktown as the Swans try to build the 18-year-old first-round draft pick into an AFL footballer.
The towering forward is the son of AFL great and Swans’ development guru John Blakey and is showing all the hallmarks of a prospect ready to be fast-tracked through the system.
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Coach John Longmire said Blakey’s class and skill was clear, but he is not yet on a full training program as the focus is on getting his young body ready for AFL combat.
But with Franklin and star recruit Daniel Menzel racing the clock to be fit for the start of the season, Blakey has a red-hot chance in the pre-season competition to push for a starting role in the forward line.
“He was (impressive). He’s got a very good kick,’’ Longmire said.
“He’s very springy and he’s quick. He’s got good grade endurance so we’re just building his body and getting him used to the rigours of AFL football.
“He’s not doing the whole training program at the moment and all the draftees are in the same boat.
“We ease them into it and hopefully give them the opportunity to be able to continually train which will lead to improvement and that’s the most important thing at this point.
“Nick Blakey, Justin McInerney, or any of our new players, need to get some continuous training under their belts so they can have the resilience to be able to play a season.
“Everyone is different and they will play when they are ready to play.’’
Franklin is still recovering from a groin operation he underwent in the off-season and watched the Swans’ comfortable 76-52 win over the Giants from the dugout.
Longmire reiterated that the club won’t be pushing Franklin to be back by round one.
“He’s tracking well, he’s running,’’ Longmire said.
“He won’t get any JLT (pre-season) games under his belt and we’re not sure yet with round one.”
Originally published as Nick Blakey boosts his chances of a Round 1 debut after an impressive trial game performance
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