Youthful endeavour pays for Heron
TEENAGER Jacob Heron moved to the Gold Coast with a point to prove and the Suns have repaid that commitment.
The Cairns Saints junior was yesterday one of the youngest footballers in Australia to be elevated to an AFL list this year as the Suns selected Heron as an academy rookie.
The 17-year-old becomes the second product of the AFL Cairns club in two seasons to join the AFL after fellow Suns academy member Jack Bowes was selected in the national draft 12 months ago.
There were no nerves yesterday for the teenager as the club had committed to selecting him after a standout season in the NEAFL, which culminated in winning a QAFL premiership with Palm Beach Currumbin.
“This was always my goal to get onto an AFL list,” he said. “I always thought that it might take me two years on the Gold Coast to get picked up.
“I thought maybe I would need another year after this one as I am so young and most guys getting drafted are the year older.
“But I really wanted to prove that I could do it as a 17year-old and I am really happy that I have.”
The Suns also added Jacob Dawson, Mackenzie Willis, Nicholas Holman and Joshua Jaska to their list yesterday.