HIS AFL journey is still in its opening stages, but International Scholarship holder Kurt Heartherley is wasting no time in learning tricks of the trade from his new teammates.
The Hawks are grooming the youngster to become an athletic defender, a position he has played at TAC Cup level with the Sandringham Dragons.
Luckily for Heatherley, he has capable and experienced defenders on his side, willing and able to assist him in his development and transition to AFL football.
Teammates Josh Gibson and Brian Lake are two players he views as mentors at the Club and can assist him throughout the 2013 season as he continues in his path to the AFL with the Dragons.
“I’ve already spoken to Gibbo about my work this year and he said he’ll help me out throughout the year,” Heatherley told hawthornfc.com.au
“He’s obviously got a lot of experience, as does Lakey (Brian Lake) so with those guys around, it’ll be massive for me to boost my confidence and also to learn the game a bit better.”
The Kiwi prospect will spend the year training with the Hawks, giving him a distinct advantage above draft hopefuls his age.
Heatherley acknowledges the opportunity he has to immerse himself in the AFL lifestyle and aims to make the most of this season before officially becoming a Hawks at the end of the year.
“This year will be massive in the way of learning all the tips, tricks of the trade and just everything they do from what they eat to the professionalism they show,” he said.
“This year will be huge for me, to be able to learn off them day in and day out and then on the training track with them helping me with my skills.
“It’ll be good having them all around me.”
An International Scholarship holder since 2009, Heatherley believes it was his competitiveness that caught the attention of Recruiting and List Manager Graham Wright in New Zealand.
He believes his competitive streak is his biggest strength, an attribute that could prove handy when forging a name for himself on the AFL landscape.
“I’m not sure why Graham Wright picked me up, he must have seen something, maybe determination and competitiveness and also my athleticism helps,” he said.
“My strength would be my competitiveness. I’m so competitive in everything I do, even if it’s a social game of tennis or hockey or whatever it may be, I never want to lose.
“I always want to win, I’m passionate and I’m new to the sport so I’ve got a lot of energy towards it and I’m sure I will for a long time to come yet.”
He will continue to work on perfecting the fundamentals at training and implementing those in match conditions for the Dragons in 2013.
“I’m slowly getting there, still a long way to go but it has been pretty tough getting hold of the basic fundamentals in kicking and handballing,” he said.
“I’ve still got a long way to go with it but hopefully I’ll get there.”
