TOM BOLTER
McCartin beats odds to be premiership hero
TOM McCartin almost missed out on the Geelong Falcons squad 12 months ago.
A year on, the former key defender will be a live player at this month’s AFL national draft.
McCartin was influential in his side’s premiership win in September, showcasing how far he has come in the space of a year.
His 2016 was a write-off due to niggling back injuries that he failed to overcome.
When pre-season started last November, not even McCartin was confident he would play footy again.
“I put all the work in, I did my rehab as much as I could but because I missed all last year due to a back injury, ‘DOK’ (Daniel O’Keefe) and the coaches weren’t sure I’d play this year and I wasn’t sure myself,” he said.
“But then it came good around November, December and I played in the practice matches and was good to go for the season.”
Reinvented as a key for- ward, McCartin spent plenty of time this year working on his leading patterns with teammate and tall forward Adam Garner.
His sharp improvement saw him given opportunities for Vic Country and, by season’s end, he had put himself on the map as a likely draftee on November 24. If you watched him for the first time in the TAC Cup grand final, you would have found it hard to believe he almost missed the squad altogether.
“I didn’t even know that until I saw it on the website, that I was last one picked, but it was probably fair enough because I missed that whole year and I wasn’t really sure where I was at about preseason,” he said.
“But I was super fortunate to have the support from all the high-performance staff and parents, to get back for Round 1 and a few practice match games.
“This year’s been great fun; that’s what I’ve been focused on really, just trying to play consistent footy.
“To finish off this year with a premiership was awesome.”
With his brother Patrick already in the AFL system at St Kilda, Tom said he had the perfect role model.
“I usually just watch him, take a few things out of his book, how he goes about things and just how he goes at the top level,” McCartin said.
“He’s been a great support and whenever I feel I need support or have a question about anything, I just go straight to him.”
And while he admits “it’s only human” to think about his future, it is a head-down, bum-up attitude that will see him be drafted later this month.
“I’m trying not to think about it too much, just do a bit of training and prepare myself for anything that can happen,” he said.