Grant has been one of the league’s more impressive young players so far this season, but for one reason or another had to wait until round 17 for a nomination.
Bulldogs fans and the wider football media have been lobbying for quite some time for Grant to be nominated, and his 20-possession, three-goal performance against Fremantle on Sunday has seen him over the line.
The unassuming Bulldog says he paid little attention to the push for his nomination.
“If it happens, it happens, and this week it has. It is a good thing to get,” he said.
“I think it’s a handy bonus. It’s a good one to have, but it’s not something I had planned on getting.”
Selected at pick five in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft, Grant was a slow developer who had to deal with injuries and a light frame before stamping his mark on the AFL.
Matthew Kreuzer, Trent Cotchin, Cale Morton, Rhys Palmer, Cyril Rioli and Patrick Dangerfield were all fellow first-round draft picks who took no time adjusting to the hustle and bustle of the big league. Grant admits he was keeping tabs on his contemporaries.
“You have a close eye on other guys who were in the draft around you. Those guys were playing, which was frustrating in a way,” he said.
“Over time, I realised that key forwards take a little longer to develop. I was one of those cases, so I had to be patient. My time has come this year and it is all going well.
“Everyone wants the best out of their first round draft pick, and sometimes guys are able to have an impact straight away. I’ve taken a little bit of time, but hopefully it can pay off.”
Grant has been used in a variety of roles up forward for the Bulldogs, and says he has learnt plenty from watching recruit Barry Hall.
“He teaches the leading patterns well," Grant said of Hall.
"The way he approaches training and the gym is always with 100 per cent effort, and that is something to take away from Baz.”
Grant debuted for the Bulldogs against Carlton last year and had eight underwhelming possessions. He concedes it wasn’t his greatest performance, but says he used it as a springboard for his success in 2010.
“Last year I had one game which wasn’t the greatest of games. It gave me an insight to what AFL footy is like, and I don’t think I was ready, to be honest. It gave me a lot of things to work on over the pre-season, and so far this year it has paid dividends,” he said.
“My fitness levels weren’t up to a level required at AFL standard. I’m obviously pretty light on kilo-wise, which is still something I’m working on. But I’ve put on a bit of strength over last summer, and hopefully I’ll put some more on over the next pre-season.”
