Land of the rising Sun
For a country kid like Sam Flanders, the bright lights and buzzing media were something he had never seen, but during the last year’s AFL Draft, he found himself at the centre of it all.
On November 29, Flanders joined the best of the best at the National Draft after a stellar year for Gippsland Power. Alongside his great mate Caleb Serong, Flanders sat anxiously in the room awaiting his future.
In the weeks leading up to the draft, his manager had notified him that two teams were interested, with Fremantle and Sydney looking to take the gun half-forward.
Sydney had pick five in the draft and when that passed, Flanders thought he would be off to Fremantle with pick nine, but it wasn’t to be.
Instead, he watched as Fremantle used the first of their back to back picks on Hayden Young, followed by his teammate Caleb Serong. He started to wonder what was going on.
As the Blues flashed up on the draft board with pick 11, Flanders again wondered whether he would be taken. They needed a half forward and had missed out on making a deal for Sydney’s Tom Papley.
“I honestly thought I was a big chance to go to the Blues,” Flanders said. “The Gold Coast then traded down to Pick 11 and I heard my name called,” he added.
Camera flashes and music blared as Sam made his way up met by new Suns teammates Izak Rankine and Ben King, he was presented with his new guernsey.
“It was a massive shock. My first reaction, I didn’t even know what really happened. It was a mixture of excitement and shock. I had met with the Suns twice, but I honestly thought they would be the last team that would take me,” Flanders said.
While the Suns may not have been on Flanders radar, he felt comfortable after connecting with Cal Burns one of the recruiters. Burns played against Flanders father and spent time in Leongatha, the same region he grew up in.
Flanders was one of three picks the Suns made that night, with highly touted Oakleigh Chargers duo Matthew Rowell and Noah Anderson picked one and two. This meant that former rivals would now become teammates.
“It was probably harder going up with Noah and Matty actually. We had a huge rivalry in the NAB League competition between Oakleigh and Power. Really, at the start it was a bit hard, but now we’ve accepted and learned that we are on the same team and have become stronger in that,” Flanders said.
Before he knew it, he was on a plane to the Gold Coast. Arriving at his new club just three days after being drafted.
His first impression was how hot it was. “I remember the first moment I got up there I was kicking the ball with Dave Swallow and the first two kicks I had went way over his head. I was really nervous, it was hot, it was different. It was a bit intimidating at first, but we have a really young team, so we actually ended up having similar interests and it got a little easier,” Flanders said.
Little things like playing PlayStation together and visiting the coffee shops allowed Flanders to get to know his new teammates.
“At the start, I struggled. I won’t say I didn’t because that’s not true. I think when I first started up there it was harder to break into the group and connect with the boys,” Flanders said.
At Gippsland Power, he went from training a couple of nights a week, to training five days a week, something he wasn’t used to. He’s learnt a lot about how his body responds during that time, and what recovery works for him as well.
He worked closely with high performance manager Alex Rigby who gave him just what he needed.
“I tended to pull up a lot sorer after ice baths and massages, so I’ve worked out that going down to the beach works better for me, my body feels better after it,” he said. “I worked with Alex a lot and he gave me the belief and confidence in that. He’s also been one I can talk to about anything, I touch base with him each week,” he added.
Before kicking off his first AFL preseason, he moved in with fellow Gippslander Ben Ainsworth which did help immensely.
Despite struggling in the first few weeks, Flanders said having Ainsworth as a housemate has been incredibly important in his first six months.
“Benny has been massive for me, he helps me along and sends me reminders that he’s learnt along the way. He’s always been there to help me out,” “I think if I was anywhere else, I would have struggled a bit more really, but being from the same area, we understood each other and we get along really well,” he added.
He also met his girlfriend Mikaela, who he said has been a huge help in living life outside of football. Having her family also helps to give him the feeling of a home away from home.
Just as things started to look up for the new Sun, the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw the AFL unprecedently shut down, ensuring his first season wouldn’t be forgotten for a long time.
While the world continued to be gripped by COVID-19, Flanders decided to look at the situation as an opportunity. He had learned how his body best responded to recovery and was starting to feel the best he’d felt since he joined the Suns.
Instead of flying home like many of his teammates, he decided to stay. He wanted to prove to the coaches, he was the real deal.
“For me, the isolation period was actually massive. It got me back to being really fit and choosing to stay, it showed a lot to the coaches I think,” Flanders said.
It was an early turning point. Once the AFL permitted training again, Flanders returned in top shape and began to connect with his teammates more.
With training being run in groups of 7-8 to minimize the risk of infection spreading during the coronavirus pandemic, he saw the opportunity to get to know his teammates on a different level.
“I’m a massive fan of training in the smaller groups. You get to know the guys a lot better, so for example, I’ve gotten to know Alex Sexton and Darcy Macpherson a lot more than I probably would have if we were just in a big training group,” he said.
He’s already seen the rewards as well.
“Secco (Alex Sexton) threw me into the deep end one training and asked me to explain some structures we have to the group. I don’t think he would have done that if he didn’t trust or have confidence in me, so that’s given me more confidence,” Flanders said.
Restrictions continue to be applied to all AFL players as the league looks to stay vigilant to any positive coronavirus test, but Flanders said it’s just something he had to learn to deal with.
“I’m starting to get used to that now. The two tests a week at first were pretty shocking, they go in and twist around your nose, I did have to wipe my eyes at first,” he laughed. “It’s not that bad now though, you just get used to it,” he added.
He’s also staying in contact with Gippsland, regularly speaking with his mentors Allan Chandler and Mike Santo, two of his former teachers at Lowanna College.
One thing he does miss a little, is playing basketball with the Warragul Warriors CBL squad as he did last season.
“I am missing basketball a bit, obviously playing with Warragul, I miss playing and training with those boys and the social side of that,” he said.
Healthy, confident and feeling more at home has been a key in the development of his game so far and now he’s seeing the hard work pay off on the training track.
“Feeling a part of the group definitely makes you train better. The boys ask you how you are and they engage a lot more. They realise you’re serious here and want to play well and want to get to know them better,” he said.
With the Suns now the talk of the AFL, Flanders awaits his AFL debut, doing everything he can to show coach Stuart Dew that he’s ready.
“I want to be a massive contributor to the club and to see us have some success. That’s the goal. I think I’m ready and Dewy knows I’m ready, so I’m just waiting on my opportunity to come,” Flanders said.