By Marc McGowan
Everything happened with a rush for Sam Grlj in the early months of this year.
After not being named in the AFL Academy squad last November, a scintillating start to the season sent Grlj – pronounced “Grill” – roaring into top-10 draft contention. There was an eye-catching trial for Victoria Metro, and he also excelled in a new midfield role for Oakleigh Chargers.
Sam Grlj overcame a mid-season rough patch to emerge as a potential first-round pick in the AFL draft.Credit: Wayne Taylor
The teenage speedster had recruiters’ attention, and his enhanced status spread to the media, where Grlj suddenly began seeing his name mentioned. It all became a bit much – and Grlj’s performance suffered.
That led to him approaching former Richmond footballer-turned-sports scientist and high-performance guru David Buttifant, who has worked at various AFL clubs and with Olympic athletes.
They spoke for almost two hours after Grlj admitted to Buttifant that he was struggling.
“I burst onto the scene a little bit at the start of the year, and I wasn’t really used to the media and all the attention that came with that,” Grlj told this masthead.
“I ended up speaking to David Buttifant about focusing on what I can control, and to not really worry about that other stuff. I probably got back to that after the [national under-18] champs, and that’s probably why I played better footy after that.”
Grlj’s is a relatively common story when it comes to prospective AFL draftees.
They deal not only with the pressure they place upon themselves to perform in their draft year, but also the sudden extra attention in the media, and from well-meaning friends, family and schoolmates, plus the potential of leaving home to relocate interstate.
Everyone handles that experience differently, particularly as players bounce between club, school and state commitments, all of which bring their own scrutiny.
Grlj can impact the game as a midfielder or at half-back.Credit: AFL Photos
Chargers coach Ash Close and Grlj’s Camberwell Grammar School friends were crucial, along with Buttifant, in helping the AFL prospect emerging from his mid-season form battle, when he was frustrated with his inability to impact matches like he wanted to.
“It was a great learning opportunity because that’s the first time I’ve been faced with something like that,” Grlj said.
“I’m pretty proud of myself for being able to come through it and play some decent footy … [but it] definitely can be pretty challenging, especially when things aren’t going your way, and you really want footy to work out.”
Grlj’s Victorian draft peer Josh Lindsay remembers when he started noticing his own name being mentioned more publicly, and thinking it was “pretty cool”.
But Lindsay promised himself he would never lose his passion for the game, even as his commitments increased, and the pressure heightened.
“There is a lot of pressure that comes with it, but you’ve got to still enjoy the game. This year, I’ve enjoyed each game I played – I just love playing footy,” Lindsay said. “You’ve got to balance all your teams that you’re playing for and just try to achieve your best each week.”
It was a different situation again for Sandringham Dragons key forward Archie Ludowyke.
Like Grlj, Ludowyke started the season well and had a strong reputation as a leading forward prospect, only for him to fail to kick a goal at the mid-year championships before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Josh Lindsay is in the mix to be a first-round selection in the AFL draft.Credit: AFL Photos
“I was thinking, ‘How far will I drop?’ and ‘Where will I end up?’,” Ludowyke said.
“I had no control over it, so I could drop 40 spots, I could drop three spots, or I could even go up three spots. I would never know. But, in the end, I had the mindset that I don’t really care, even if I’m in the top 60. As long as I get drafted, I’ll be happy. That’s the main goal.”
Grlj, Lindsay and Ludowyke will all get drafted, and potentially as first-round selections on Wednesday night. If not, they should find a home early on Thursday night.
However, the wait to find out, like the football season itself, promises to be an emotional rollercoaster.
Grlj, who has Macedonian and Slovenian heritage, is linked as early as Richmond’s top-10 picks, after making a strong impression for the Tigers’ VFL team late in the season.
Hawthorn, GWS and West Coast are other potential landing points after he finished top 10 at the draft combine in the two-kilometre trial and 20-metre sprint.
“Becoming an AFL player is everything I’ve ever wanted in my life since I can remember,” Grlj said.
“To have the opportunity to maybe get picked up is pretty exciting for me.”
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