Rising Adelaide dual sports star Matt LeRay ditches cricket for AFL Academy | Andrew Capel
The former Prince Alfred College skipper says it all came down to a spur of the moment decision, writes Andrew Capel.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Matt LeRay noticed the difference.
After a “spur of the moment’’ decision to quit cricket and focus on football after he captained South Australia at the national under-19 cricket championships in Adelaide in December, LeRay hit the gym and quickly reaped the rewards.
“I had an AFL Academy camp and the rest of the boys there were in pretty good nick, so I felt I needed to at least give the back end of pre-season a crack, considering this year is such a big one for me,’’ the 18-year-old said of his “really tough’’ decision to choose football over cricket in his draft year.
“It was getting to halfway through the (football) pre-season and my body probably wasn’t where I wanted it to be, which being part of the AFL Academy really opened my eyes to.
“I was a bit behind the rest of the boys physically, so I didn’t want to worry about cricket heading towards the start of the football season and felt that I needed to devote all my time to footy.
“I’ve never really had a full pre-season, so I wanted to give myself at least half of one to try to get my body in better footy condition, work hard in the gym and try to put on some size, especially because I want to be a big bodied mid.’’
In three months, the 189cm LeRay stacked on 3kg of muscle before the start of the SANFL under-18s season, where he plays for Central District, was lifting heavier weights and feeling fitter and more powerful than ever before.
His running times also improved.
The agonising call to pull up stumps on a state pathway cricket career, which had taken him from the under-13s to captaining the under-19s – where he was one of the state’s most promising leg-spin bowlers – had paid dividends.
“It was a really tough decision to give cricket away but I felt it was the right time because it would have been really hard to keep going with both sports at an elite level,’’ LeRay said.
“As much as I love cricket, I like footy more and this is such a big year for me, being my draft year.
“I’d been in the state pathways program with cricket since the under-13s but I had to make a call if I wanted to be serious about footy.’’
In becoming the latest highly-talented dual sportsman to choose football over cricket, LeRay packed his whites in the closet and tucked his bats and balls away in his cricket bag, disappointing the cricket fraternity but delighting AFL talent scouts.
“I loved my cricket but long term I felt I had more of a chance of making it in footy,’’ LeRay said.
“Cricket is such a tough sport to break into at the elite level, especially as a spinner. There are a lot more spots available in footy, 45 or so on an AFL list, compared to 11 in a cricket team.’’
Before turning his back on cricket, LeRay was one of SA’s most promising leg-spinners who had played First-Grade for Tea Tree Gully.
Also a hard-hitting, middle-to-late-order batsman, he shone at the under-19 nationals and was eyeing a spot in the Australia under-19 team for next year’s World Cup.
“That was at the forefront of my cricketing goals but I don’t know if I’d ever be good enough to get a state contract, especially with some really good spinners on the SA list (Lloyd Pope and Ben Manenti),’’ LeRay said.
Instead, LeRay has set his sights on emulating a couple of his football idols, fellow Croweaters Will Day (Hawthorn) and Jordan Dawson (Adelaide).
“I like watching how the tallish midfielders go about their business, guys like Day and Dawson,’’ he said.
“They are two players I try to model my game on because I think I’m a little bit similar body-wise and the way I play.’’
One of four South Australians in this year’s AFL National Academy boys intake, along with fellow Bulldog Dyson Sharp, Sturt’s Harley Barker and North Adelaide’s Sam Cumming, LeRay is considered the one with the biggest upside, given he had been juggling two sports and is yet to get a full footballing pre-season under his belt.
His size and athletic profile fit the bill as a modern-day midfielder. He can win the ball on the inside and use his power and burst to create damage on the outside, while also being clean overhead and below his knees.
“Considering I’ve given cricket away now, the next pre-season I have, wherever it might be, I’m hoping I can really attack it and improve off the back of it,’’ he said.
LeRay is already making waves.
In four SANFL under-18s matches this season, he has averaged 21 disposals, five marks, six tackles and four clearances at 83 per cent disposal efficiency, illustrating his all-round game.
LeRay also showed some good signs for the AFL Academy in two trials last month against strong VFL opposition, Richmond and Coburg, averaging 15 disposals.
A Crows fan who is in his first year of studying for a Bachelor of Teaching degree at Uni SA, LeRay is also renowned for his strong leadership.
Apart from captaining SA’s under-19 cricket side, he is skipper of Central’s under-18s and captained Prince Alfred College’s footy and cricket teams.
LeRay learnt plenty about leadership and hard work while training with Adelaide for a week in January, alongside potential top-five draft prospect Sharp, as part of the Academy program.
A key member of SA’s under-18 national championships squad, LeRay said finding a draft home at the end of the year would be “a dream come true’’.
He is making every post a winner.
NUMBERS GAME
90
Margin of Port Adelaide’s defeat to the Western Bulldogs – the 12th biggest loss in its AFL history.
3
Jordan Dawson goals for Adelaide against Carlton – an equal-career high.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“It’s not a surprise that the Bulldogs were able to beat us. It’s a surprise to me that we got beat so badly. We expected way better than that.’’ – Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley on the 90-point pounding by the Western Bulldogs
“It feels really good at the moment, responding off the back of last week, that’s our game back to its best,’’ – Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks after the 61-point trouncing of Carlton
More Coverage
Originally published as Rising Adelaide dual sports star Matt LeRay ditches cricket for AFL Academy | Andrew Capel
Gout star struck running into AFL giants
Gout Gout says he got star struck running into some Collingwood players, but the teenager still took a cheeky swipe at the AFL giants.
AFL blindsided as third alleged Rioli threat emerges
It’s been revealed that the AFL’s decision not to hand down a punishment to Willie Rioli was made without the knowledge of previous alleged threats to players as a third incident emerges.