Gippsland Power’s Ricky Mentha on verge of realising AFL dream with Melbourne

Having trained with Melbourne last year and hitting it off with Kozzy Pickett, a dasher from the Northern Territory could make history at the draft this November.

Gippsland Power dasher Ricky Mentha took a shine to “Kozzy’’ Pickett when he trained with Melbourne briefly last year.

Now the AFL draft aspirant is on the brink of being handed a chance to unite with Pickett and the Demons and live an AFL dream he formed in Alice Springs.

In what would be a historic move for the Demons, they are considering taking their Next Generation Academy member as a Category B rookie after watching his progress with Gippsland Power in the Coates Talent League in the past two years.

Mentha, 18, is from Alice Springs (part of Melbourne’s zone), where he represented the NT in under-age football and basketball.

Melbourne recruiting boss Jason Taylor first saw Mentha playing barefoot in an eight-a-side football game on a ground the size of a soccer pitch.

Ricky Mentha at the AFL State Draft Combine. Picture: AFL Photos

The Dees have followed him closely given his talent and determination to do everything possible to play at the highest level.

Last year Mentha made the huge step of relocating to Gippsland last year, where he lives with his father and plays with Power and local club Morwell.

The Demons have had the Alice Springs zone as part of their academy zone for some time but have never taken a player from there as an NGA talent.

Melbourne recruited Liam Jurrah as the first Indigenous person from a remote Central Australia community to play AFL and secured Austin Wonaeamirri from the Northern Territory.

It has space on its list for a category B rookie after taking players from basketball and cricket in recent years.

“From the word go, his footy IQ and his skillset were at a really high level,’’ Power talent manager Scott McDougal said of Mentha.

“Physically and preparation and speed of the game were some of the challenges he had to overcome but he got a few games in towards the end of last year and then he had a little injury. He was put away in cotton wool and had a really, really good pre-season and started to come on as a footballer and feel comfortable around the group and enjoy the program.’’

Mentha played 14 games this year, was used in a few positions and averaged 12.3 disposals.

He also had two matches for the Allies at the national Under 18 championships and two for Morwell’s senior team in the Gippsland league.

McDougal said Mentha was a crafty small forward but the Power also played him at halfback.

He gave an outstanding performance in rugged conditions against the Western Jets at Williamstown, having 22 disposals.

“Like another Indigenous player from back in the day, Anthony [McDonald]-Tipungwuti, he made it look like a dry ball … decision-making, clean, balanced,’’ McDougal said.

Mentha in action. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos)

The potential draftee has been likened to Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti. Picture: Getty Images

“He didn’t have the absolute standout, everything-went-right season. He had to deal with some injuries and form that came with getting used to new positions on the ground. But throughout the whole season he showed a lot of AFL-standard moments. You couldn’t fault his workrate and his willingness to learn.’’

Mentha spent time at Melbourne after last season.

Some AFL recruiters are split on his talent – at last week’s AFL combine, he didn’t blow them away with his 20m sprint time and he does need to work on his endurance.

But Melbourne believes he has rare talent and is also impressed by his sheer dedication to move to Victoria and get his football going in the elite Under 18 competition.

Some Indigenous players from the Northern Territory have talent to spend but understandably struggle with the changed lifestyle and professional demands.

Melbourne knows Mentha will leave no stone unturned if he is handed a category B spot.

McDougal said he “hit it off’’ with Pickett and Mentha hoped to emulate the premiership Demon.

“He was blown away by how professional he was … it was a great experience for him,’’ he said.

Originally published as Gippsland Power’s Ricky Mentha on verge of realising AFL dream with Melbourne