IT’S A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW
FATHER-SON PROSPECT KEEPS IT REAL
THERE can often be a feeling among young footballers coming through the elite pathway programs that any setback is permanent, but for Drysdale youngster Will Kilpatrickeverything that happens to him is seen as a new opportunity to learn.
Still two years away from being eligible to be drafted, Kilpatrick is doing all the right things in preparation for a fulfilling career.
The son of former Geelong midfielder Glenn was a shock omission from state selection after a strong showing at the under-16s championships earlier in the year, but he is not letting it get him down.
Instead, he is working harder than ever to put into practice what his coaches have told him about what he needs to do to improve his game so that when he is faced with his next challenge he will be ready.
“The message was that there were players just ahead of me at this stage, so I basically have to keep doing what I’m doing and then as I develop I will become a better player,” Will said. “I will look to improve my physique and bring the knowledge I’ve gained from this to training drills and things like that.
“We played very well, we had a strong side and I was happy with how I played. It was a big step up and there were a lot better players but it improves my footy and it is a good thing to be at a higher intensity, so I really enjoyed it.”
After a short stint at Essendon and then West Adelaide in the SANFL, Glenn played 120 games for Geelong, making Will eligible to be drafted under the father-son rule at the end of 2020.
But the 1995 Magarey medallist said there was no pressure on Will to do any more than he is doing at the moment.
“He’s doing well, in the carnival for the under-16s he played midfield, he played back, wherever the coach asked him to play, and I think he did his role,” Glenn said.
“The good thing about Will is he is a good listener and tries to implement what the coaches have said, so he did well in that and it’s the same at Drysdale, he just tries to listen and then implement.
“But at the end of the day the main thing is as long he is enjoying his footy. I think there is a lot of pressure on kids these days to be the best and play AFL, and that would be great, but it is not the be all and end all.”
Like many potential fathersons that have gone before him, Kilpatrick recognises that it would be an honour to one day play for the Cats.
The 16-year-old has been likened to Scott Selwood and Cam Guthrie by various people who have seen him in action, who say he has clean hands, is strong around the contest and reads the play exceptionally well.
But he said rather than concerning himself with things beyond his control his focus was simply on being the best that he could be.
“I like playing in the midfield because I feel like I can run all day and I like playing that outside sweeping role, I really enjoy that, so I feel like I’m playing my best footy when I’m doing that,” Will said.
“It would obviously be a dream come true to play AFL but at the moment I’m just enjoying my footy and trying to get better and better each day.
“(Dad) has been a good mentor for me and has helped me with my footy. Not everyone has a dad that has played footy and has that experience so that is really good.”
Glenn, who finished at the Cats in 2002, admits seeing his son in the blue and white hoops would be special, but knows that no matter what happens in the next couple of years, Will could not be in better hands.
“As Will said it would be a dream come true for him but he has got to want it, it’s not me wanting it for him, he needs to want it himself,” Kilpatrick said.
“He is keen for it to happen if it happens, but if it doesn’t he will have gained a huge amount of knowledge from being involved at the Geelong Falcons and wherever he goes back to, whether that is Drysdale or wherever, he will take that knowledge and implement it back at that club, so there are going to be benefits.”