MAKING A SPLASH
Meet Geelong Falcons big man Blake Schlensog. If all things go to plan, the athletic key position prospect will be on Geelong’s list by the end of the week as part of the Cats’ Next Generation Academy.
GEELONG Falcons big man Blake Schlensog (pictured) did not know what the Next Generation Academy was all about a year ago.
But after a chat with his coach, Daniel O’Keefe, that all changed pretty quickly.
The indigenous talent has since been the beneficiary of tutelage and coaching at the Geelong Football Club that helped take his game to a new level in 2018, although O’Keefe has said previously that credit needs to go to the key position prospect for his commitment to improving.
Described as a “unique talent” and as someone who “offers attributes that most other TAC Cup players simply don’t have”, Schlensog, who appears set to be taken by the Cats in the draft (unless a rival club bids for him earlier than expected), clearly has a bright future.
But having been played as a forward and a ruckman, he says his work with Wylie Buzza and Paul Hood has him convinced he will be a forward that can pinch-hit in the ruck rather than the other way around.
“I didn’t really know much about the Next Gen program until this year but I had a chat with DOK and from there I have been going into the club once a week doing video edits and other things,” Schlensog said.
“Wylie Buzza and Paul Hood have helped me see what I can do better by doing that. A lot of it is forward craft and ruck craft, but position-wise I probably see myself as a forward-ruck and swapping out of there. I’m probably more of a forward.”
A key objective of the Next Generation Academies — a joint initiative between the AFL and AFL clubs aimed at the attraction, retention and development of emerging talent while growing participation in the under-represented segments of the community — is to increase the talent pool of indigenous and multicultural players.
Geelong has given Schlensog a running program to commit to since his season finished and he has been working with Falcons fitness guru Matt Critchley completing midweek boxing sessions.
He knows he needs to strike a balance, which is where his love of surfing comes in.
“I enjoy surfing a lot and hanging out with friends but surfing is the main thing that gets my mind off footy, so I will go off Point Addis and Winki. It has been another kind of conditioning activity though as well, so that is good.”