MEET THE GUTHREE
Cats VFL player Josh Guthrie has spoken of his desire to follow the footsteps of his AFL brothers Cam and Zach
WATCHING brothers Cameron and Zach Guthrie establish themselves at Geelong has inspired Josh, 21, to pursue an AFL dream.
The VFL-listed player is starting to feel at home at Simonds Stadium after earning his first game as a bona fide player in the Cats’ 22.
He filled his five-game quota as the VFL side’s 23rd player before pulling on the boots for game No.6 against Sandringham last Saturday.
But football wasn’t always on Josh’s radar.
“I was probably always a little bit of everything with basketball, football, cricket — they were the three main ones growing up,” the Sunbury resident said.
“Cricket was probably the one I took most seriously really young.
“I played for Sunbury just locally, played a little bit in the state championships for Central Highlands and represented Victoria in under-13s, which is a while ago now.
“And then football and basketball were a bit 50-50 until I was under-18s.
“Once I got through TAC Cup — I played a little footy there, but not much — and got down to the VFL program, that’s where I started to treat it almost like a job where I put a lot of work into it and treat it seriously.”
When Cam was drafted in 2010 and moved from the Sunbury home for Geelong, it left a hole in Josh’s life.
Up until then, Josh, three years Cam’s junior, had admired how his brother had gone about putting his name in front of AFL scouts.
“He’s been good to watch, especially when I was young,” Josh said.
“He was coming through the under-18 system and I watched a lot of him then, and then as he started to get drafted, I was playing footy myself.
“It’s been great to watch him play at AFL level. I think he’s done really well for himself, he’s worked really hard.
“Probably when Cam moved out it was bit of a shock almost. We were all really close together and wherever one was the other one was as well. Then I kind of spend a bit more time with Zach now that Cam’s moved out.”
Zach, 19, has also impressed Josh, sparking a desire to follow in their footsteps.
While he juggles a parttime job at Boost Juice at Melbourne Airport with studying third-year podiatry at La Trobe University, Josh says football is where his passion lies.
“I’m kind of doing a little bit of everything, but my life revolves mostly around footy,” he said.
“Those other things are probably backups for me at the moment, but this is the thing I take most seriously — my footy.”
But Guthrie knows he won’t be handed a Cats guernsey because of his surname.
“I’ve only played six VFL games so next season if I’m in the VFL program again, just showing it over a full season a little bit more,” he said of taking the next step.
“When I came down here I was probably inconsistent with a few little things, but I’ve worked at it now and I feel more comfortable in all situations.
“I want to continue to improve — being able to fill different roles, being able to play inside and outside, and keep doing everything I can do.”