PROMISING Hawks youngster Kurt Heatherley is fresh into his budding AFL career, so fresh in fact he doesn’t officially join the Club’s list until the end of 2013.
For the 18 year old though, signing a three-year deal with the Hawks is a sign his Club believes he has the attributes of an AFL footballer, something that has given him great confidence heading into this year.
It is a far cry from a pipe dream, a wonderful adventure that might not have worked out given AFL was foreign to the Kiwi youngster.
“It was a tough move over here, I didn’t know the sport at all – I didn’t even know it had four goal posts,” Heatherley told hawthornfc.com.au
“Hawthorn wanting me to stay shows they believe in me and think I can forge a career in the AFL.
“Hopefully I can repay them by playing some good football in the next few years and earn my spot in the team.”
Play some good football he has already, however, impressing recruiters in his seven matches for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup in 2012.
The promising defender admits his skills still require improvement, and has an idea to fast track his development.
“The more I kick the footy, the more I’ve got it in my hands, even around the house with a little footy – just playing with the footy, flicking it up and down and practicing, that’s the best way for me (to learn).
“Watching guys like (Lance) Franklin and the other superstars in the competition kick helps and training with them helps me improve my game a lot as well.
“It’s just practice makes perfect.”
Impressive too, was his performance at the AFL’s 2012 Draft Combine, where he finished second in the 20m sprint with a time of 2.84 seconds, just 0.03 of a second behind first place.
His athleticism is one of his biggest strengths and, standing at 192cm his performance even impressed the AFL’s Talent Manager, Kevin Sheahan who described Heatherley as a “beauty”.
Despite his impressive testing results, Heatherley admits he still has a long way to go, with plenty of room for improvement.
“I have improved a little bit but I’ve still got a long way to go to get my kicking technique right, my handballing skills and even just the game sense – knowing the game and where to go when I’m on the field, there’s still a long way to go,” he said.
“All my footy mates have 10 years on me in terms of their footy IQ, maybe even more depending on when they started playing.
“I just think to myself ‘they’ve got 10 years on me so the more I get out on the ground and do a couple of extra hours each day, I can improve and catch up.’”
Heatherley was signed by the Hawks in 2009 under the AFL’s International Scholarship Scheme and, late last year committed to the Club for three years, choosing to begin his AFL journey with the club that plucked him from the rugby field and basketball courts over three years ago.
He moved to Melbourne almost immediately, boarding at Melbourne’s Caulfield Grammar where he juggled school work, his development with the Hawks and school football.
It is something he admits was a struggle, but the support from the Hawks and a family he grew close to helped him to adjust to life in Melbourne.
“I didn’t have any mates here, I literally had no one but luckily for me I was set up with a really good family who pretty much became my guardians for the first few years and still pretty much are,” he said.
“If I didn’t have them and obviously Graham Wright, Mark McKenzie (Hawks Recruiting and Special Projects Manager) and David Flood (former Development coach) along the way I would have really struggled.”
“It’s a great journey I guess and hopefully the journey continues for a long time, I hope it’s not just the start.”
Heatherley will spend 2013 training with the Hawks before officially joining the Club for the 2014 AFL season.
