SHARP SKILLS FROM PROUD SCHOOL
HE graduated from the same high school that has produced certified AFL stars Nathan Fyfe, Patrick Cripps, Elliot Yeo, Daniel Kerr, Peter Bell and Charlie Cameron but Jeremy Sharp is determined to forge his own path in the AFL.
The Aquinas College product shares a blazer with Western Australian football royalty and was coached by West Coast premiership player Quinten Lynch in his final year of school footy before being drafted by the Suns with pick 27.
“I’d love to (join them),” Sharp said of those who’d come before him.
“You grow up hearing these names and watching them on TV and watching them captain clubs now.
“The school breeds a lot of AFL players and I’m proud to have gone to Aquinas.”
Just five picks before Sharp’s name was called out, good mate and fellow Aquinas midfielder Deven Robertson was drafted to the Brisbane Lions.
Albeit starting their careers at different ends of the M1, Sharp fantasised about what it would be like to come up against his mate on the big stage.
“I texted him and said ‘we’ve got to catch up before we go’ because I’ve known him for so long,” Sharp said.
“It would be a bit weird but I’d love to play (against) him. I’ve always been on his team and I’ve never played against him so I think I’d know what he’d be doing at stoppages and stuff.”
The two time All-Australian credited a stint of senior WAFL football with his rapid development, playing six league games for East Fremantle this year and averaging 15 disposals.
The 187cm prospect entered 2019 with high expectations, having already put his name on the draft map as a bottom-age player but he handled the weight with aplomb.
“It was a big step up (playing senior football) and I needed it for me to grow as a player,” he said.
“I started getting a bit more attention on game day because in your draft year, everyone knows what you’re trying to do with your life.”
■ THE Suns have named ex-Adelaide and Melbourne AFL coach Neil Craig as a part-time consultant.