CAREER BRIEF:Previous cluba Riverton, East FremantleDraft details: No. 9 - 2005 National DraftJoined Lions: 2006AFL debut: n/aAFL finals: 0Kicking a goal with their first kick in AFL football is a dream most young draftees would aspire to. Promising AAPT Brisbane Lions forward Mitchell Clark has gone one better - doing it twice.It all started for Clark in February's NAB Cup clash against Essendon in Carrara, when he surged onto a loose ball to kick the first goal of the game. And it continued in Round 1 against Geelong, after he marked on the lead three minutes into the match.Clark coolly went back on the mark and slotted the opening goal of his AFL career from 30m, before being mobbed by his overjoyed teammates."I was pretty nervous coming in - but you just go back to basics and it was pretty sweet for it to sail through," Clark recalled."I wasn't really thinking of anything as I did it, I just went back and kicked it. All the boys were really supportive of me, which was great."Sadly, from a team perspective, Clark's debut was an unfortunate one, with the Lions succumbing to the red-hot Cats by 77 points. But there was enough in his eight-possession, five-tackle debut - one in which he also played in the ruck - to provide considerable encouragement for the future.The use of the 198cm, 91kg Clark as a back-up ruckman for Jamie Charman meant the 18-year-old went head-to-head with 202cm, 106kg Geelong skipper Steven King. Hardly surprisingly, Clark described the experience as one from which he learned plenty."The last time I played there I was probably about 15, so it had been a couple of years. But it was all good experience," he said."I knew in the three or four days before the game that I was going to be playing in the rucka bit and tt was pretty daunting coming up against Steven King. He's a premier ruckman and a big bloke, so it was lucky that Charmo was rucking against him more than me."I didn't mind it - I actually quite enjoyed it. I think I'm better suited up forward but whatever the team needs, I'll do."Clark's parents made the trip to Skilled Stadium to watch him debut but it was a month later that the East Fremantle product experienced a true football homecoming. Recalled to the senior side for the Round 5 trip to Subiaco to play West Coast, Clark found himself in hostile but familiar surroundings, with a decent chunk of his "clan" gathered to lend him support.Again the Lions didn't get a win - matching it with the top-of-the-table Eagles in the first half before going down - but again Clark showed the promise that made him the Lions' first pick, at No. 9, of last year's National Draft."It was great to play at Subi - back home and in comfortable surroundings and things like that," he explained."It was really good even though there were probably 40,000 West Coast supporters there and only a few going for Brisbane - including about 40 of my family. It was really good to play in front of family and friends."The next week Clark was left in the strange situation of taking the field against a bunch of players who had been his heroes only a few short months ago. A Swans fan, he rejoiced when Sydney claimed a long-awaited premiership last September but went out to battle against his idols at the Gabba in Round 6."It was pretty ironic really, because I was running out against Barry Hall and Goodes and players that I've idolised, I suppose," Clark said."You sit back after the game and think, hang on, I just played against the Sydney Swans. Last year I was supporting them and now, all of a sudden, they are enemies."Still, no matter who he is required to turn out against, Clark says he is happy just to be getting a game. In the lead-up to draft week, he was struck down with a much-publicised attack of the potentially fatal meningococcal disease, so each time he takes the field alongside star centre-half-forward Jonathan Brown is the realisation of a dream and a valuable step in his football education."Playing Round 1 surprised quite a few people, including myself. I thought to myself that I'd be right (with the meningococcal) but you don't think you'll play Round 1 being only 18 years old," he revealed."I think I've coped pretty well. I'm still getting used to it but the main thing is trying to put some weight on and getting stronger over the ball. You have to learn to work with Braddy and Browny - it's about playing your role in the side and not always about getting the ball and kicking the goals."Adapting to that is a big thing because at junior level you don't have so much of a game plan, you just want to get out there and get as much of the ball as you can."It's been great playing with Browny. He's a really good leader out there for the boys and you are a lot more confident when he is next to you."CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Sheehan Medal 2003 National U/16 Championships, AIS/AFL Academy 2002/03, WA U/16, WA U/18.
