WITH a new contract in hand, exciting youngster Troy Menzel has revealed he has no intention of taking a back seat as the Blues attempt to reclaim their stake as a competition heavyweight.
Carlton confirmed on Friday that Menzel had inked a new two-year deal, tying him to the club until 2016.
And in an interview with the AFL Record, Menzel said he had aspirationsto be a future leader at Carlton.
It is not surprising the Blues moved quickly to offer Menzel a new deal. From what he has shown this year, it appears the small forward has the ability to turn a game on its head.
In a club statement, Carlton's football operations manager Andrew McKay said: "Troy has certainly been an exciting player to watch grow and develop - he's still only 19 so we believe he has a very bright future ahead.
"He’s a creative player who has a natural ability to find the football, and he is also one of the emerging young leaders at our football club.
"Having Troy recommit to Carlton puts another of the building blocks in place that we believe will take our football club forward."
In the full interview in the AFL Record, Menzel also discusses his bond with his five brothers –including Geelong's Daniel – growing up in South Australia, and his battleswith serious knee injuries including his decision to have thecontroversial LARS reconstructive surgery at age 16.
Carlton confirmed on Friday that Menzel had inked a new two-year deal, tying him to the club until 2016.
And in an interview with the AFL Record, Menzel said he had aspirationsto be a future leader at Carlton.
"I've grown up seeing myself as a leader," the 19-year-old said.
"Being able to play at such a prestigious club is something you dream of as a kid and I'm very honoured to do it."
He'sagile, evasive and his light frame doesn't stop him from fiercelyattacking the ball. He seems to relish the chance to shine on football'sbiggest stage.
The Blues' game against West Coast in round six is a case in point.
Startingas the substitute, Menzel was lively when he came on, putting pressureon the Eagles and laying a crucial tackle on Mark Hutchings in the finalquarter, as Carlton desperately tried to hang in the contest.
Trailing by 24 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, the Blues slotted the next four goals to level the scores.
With about two-and-a-half minutes remaining, Carlton surged forward again.
Menzelread the ball best, swooping on a Marc Murphy kick inside 50 as othersaround him misjudged the flight. He turned on his left foot andstylishly drilled what would be the match-winning goal.
It was a classy effort for a player in only his 12th game.
"Itwas a surreal feeling. I guess it was one of those ones where as soonas I kicked it, it felt like it was never going to miss," Menzel said.
In a club statement, Carlton's football operations manager Andrew McKay said: "Troy has certainly been an exciting player to watch grow and develop - he's still only 19 so we believe he has a very bright future ahead.
"He’s a creative player who has a natural ability to find the football, and he is also one of the emerging young leaders at our football club.
"Having Troy recommit to Carlton puts another of the building blocks in place that we believe will take our football club forward."
Read the full Menzel interview in the round 21 edition of the AFL Record, available at all grounds.
