CARLTON'S No.1 pick Sam Walsh has his sights set firmly on a round one debut, having impressed in his time so far at the Blues.
The midfielder's quality has stood out at the club since he was the first player picked at the NAB AFL Draft in November, and he is determined to don the navy blue in Carlton's season-opening clash with Richmond.
"That's the goal for me. Obviously that's still a long way away and there's things to be ticked off before then, but I think that's the motivation towards training and wanting to get better, and hopefully I'll reach that goal," Walsh said on Monday at the AFLPA induction camp.
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Walsh and the Blues returned to training last week after their Christmas break, with the 18-year-old continuing to be deployed in the midfield group.
He has had a first-hand look at what it takes to get to the elite level, having lived with Carlton star and co-captain Patrick Cripps in his first month at the club.
"I've been lucky at Carlton, everyone's been great in terms of getting around me, especially that young midfield group where we've all been working well together," he said.
"Early on I was lucky enough to live with Patty Cripps, Zac Fisher and Darcy Lang and they've been huge helps just to get a feel for what AFL life is like and the things outside of the club that you do."
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That has been part of Walsh's learning experiences since stepping into the AFL from the under-18 system, saying the ability to front up to training on a daily basis had its challenges.
"It's not unexpected, [because] I felt like I was pretty prepared coming in. But it's backing it up every day which is how you improve but it is also a bit of a grind at times. But I've been loving it and you always want to be on your game and improving," he said.
"I love that day to day stuff but you've got to recover well otherwise it catches up with you, and if you want to be out on the track all the time then it's those little things that help you achieve that."
Walsh will be aiming to show his wares in the Blues' JLT Community Series games, which begin next month on February 28 when Carlton hosts Essendon at Ikon Park.
All first-year players (apart from Collingwood's, who are on the Magpies training camp in Queensland) in the AFL will attend the AFLPA induction on Monday and Tuesday at Marvel Stadium.
The AFLPA's manager of player development Ben Smith said the camp was designed to educate the competition's newest players about the industry.
"For us it's just about making sure the players understand the opportunities to come and enjoy the game, and the opportunities the AFLPA can provide to support their careers on and off the field," Smith said.
"For us it's helping them understand the importance of having an identity away from the game, pursuing the opportunities, understanding their finances and empowering them to navigate their career when the time comes that it finishes."
