TONY Olango spent three months trialling for Scottish soccer giants Glasgow Rangers in 2014, but come November the 201cm ruck prospect is likely to find his way on to an AFL list.
In a major victory for the AFL over its sporting rivals, the Sudanese-born Olango decided to forgo his soccer dream and dedicate himself to getting drafted by an AFL club.
Olango, 18, who has drawn comparisons to West Coast big man Nic Naitanui for his style of play, was one of the standouts in the running vertical jump test, with a mark of 91cm putting him in the top five at this year's NAB AFL Draft Combine.
"A lot of people compare me to him (Naitanui)," Olango said on Sunday.
"I can jump high."
How high, he was asked? "Really high," he said to laughter.
Tony Olango soars during testing at the combine on Saturday. Picture: AFL Photos
Olango, who moved to Darwin from Sudan with his six brothers and one sister when he was just two years old, was one of the standouts in the NAB AFL Under-18 All Stars game on Grand Final eve.
His trademark leap was on display, but he also showed how nimble he is for a player with such a big frame.
Olango has also had a taste of what it's like to be in an elite AFL environment, having been a late call up to the NAB AFL Academy late last year.
"The last two years I've been playing, I've fallen in love with the game," Olango said.
However it has not been all smooth sailing for the Northern Territory prospect, with a number of injuries hampering his development throughout the season.
Groin troubles, linked to osteitis pubis, and then shin stress fractures limited him at the end of 2015.
Then after arriving back in Australia following the Academy's trip to the US in January, the groin issues flared up again.
To make matters worse, he also had bone bruising in his knees after the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, meaning the All Stars game was his first game in more than two months.
Despite the injury issues, AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan said Olango had some desirable traits and tipped him to wind up on a list either through the national or rookie drafts.
"We openly admit we're in competition with other sports for the elite athletes. We want our sport to be a spectacular game and he's a spectacular athlete," Sheehan said.
"Some of his moves in the All Star game were super for a kid that size.
"His potential to play is enormous.
"We'd say he's a very good chance to win one of those spots (in the national or rookie drafts)."
Want more Draft Combine news?
• NAB AFL Draft Combine: latest news and video
• Inside the Combine: the tests and top performers
• Latest draft order: Which picks does your club taking to the draft?
