Tom’s father Barry played 170 games for the Swans and was a club best and fairest winner in 1991. And Tom is showing all the signs he will be as good a midfielder as his Dad.
Tom, based in WA since Barry took a job as midfield coach at Fremantle a year ago, was a standout at the U16 national carnival in July and won his state’s MVP award.
Sydney’s recruiting chief Kinnear Beatson took a keen interest in Tom, and this week the Year 10 student is in Sydney to meet the coaching staff and get to know his way around the club he might be drafted to in a couple of years.
On Monday he watched on as the team took part in a tough session in hot conditions at the Lakeside Oval, but Tom has since joined in with light training to get a feel for the demands at the elite level.
Tom, who is staying with coach Paul Roos and his family, said it was a great experience.
“I’m just here to look at how the boys train and what’s required to make it to play in the AFL, to experience a week of training with an AFL team,’’ said Tom, who is so highly regarded he was selected in the AIS-AFL Academy this year.
Even though his dad had finished playing for the Swans before he was born, he has a soft spot for the club.
But Tom says it’s hard to know who he barracks for because his father played for three clubs (Sydney, Collingwood and Carlton) and has coached at three (Carlton, Hawthorn and now Fremantle).
“Initially growing up I went for Carlton since Dad was there at the time, and I have always liked the Swans as well but I’m not too sure any more because he’s been to too many clubs!’’
Tom has had to get used to change. This year he moved from Victoria to Western Australia but has adapted quickly to a new school, and to football in his new state.
State coaching staff have been impressed with the way he has taken to the larger grounds and different style of footy played in WA, and his MVP award at nationals was evidence of how successful the move has been.
“School-wise I knew a few kids already so it wasn’t too hard and footy-wise the standard is pretty similar to Victoria so the transition wasn’t too difficult,’’ Tom said.
And his father has been there to provide advice when needed. “He helps me out when I need the help and ask for the help but he’s pretty happy for me to do whatever I want so it is good.’’
Tom says his good form this year has been a result of putting his head down and working hard on his game.
“I started to take it more seriously and started to think what I wanted to get out of footy and where I wanted to go in the future. Hopefully to one day play in the AFL, that is the ultimate goal.’’
He has no qualms about a possible move to Sydney, and believes this week’s visit will help. “I’ve always loved the Swans and if I was good enough one day, hopefully that would be a good move to live here.’’
Fortunately for the Swans, even though his father played at three clubs, Tom is only eligible to play for Sydney under the father-son rule.
