TRIAL SHOWS OFF SKILL SET
CHARLIE Sprague shapes as the unquantifiable prospect before this month’s AFL draft.
Likened to Patrick Cripps and Luke Parker “without the bullocking play”, the smart Geelong Falcons halfforward has the one-touch attributes to take his game to the next level, but a threemonth finger injury denied recruiters the chance to see him at full flight at the national carnival.
At 187cm, “Grandpa”, as he has been nicknamed by his teammates because of his mature standing within the team, is preparing for life without football — looking into doing an international business course at university next year — which highlights the maturity and forward thinking of the 18year-old.
But if a trial game with Vic Country back in May is anything to go by, Sprague has shown a glimpse of why he has the potential to make it on an AFL list.
“The start of the year I was able to string a couple of good games for the Falcons and get an invitation to the Vic Country squad, which is what I was aiming to do,” he said.
“Getting the opportunity to try out for Vic Country was huge and I put a lot of focus on that first trial game to try to cement my spot in the squad.
“That was certainly the breakout game for me, where I was play pretty much the whole game through the midfield.
“The Vic Country coach gave me a lot of opportunities that day and I thought that was a bit of a breakout moment for me.”
But he sustained a serious finger injury 10 minutes into the second trial game in a tackle, which threatened to end his season.
“When I did my finger it was disappointment at first, then frustration that I wasn’t going to be able to show recruiters what I’ve got, I suppose,” Sprague said.
“But I was able to work through that, train really hard and then able to get back for a couple of games at the end of the year, which was really good.”
While the Barwon Heads junior, who loves surfing and fishing in his spare time, does not amass the big numbers of some of his teammates, his kicking skills and cleanliness are regarded as elite.
With no ceiling on what he can achieve, Sprague is adamant there is more to come when he moves from the forward line.
“I think I’ve shown this year and last year when I’ve been able to get that opportunity to play in the midfield, I’ve played some of my best footy there,” he said.