Western Jets star Liam Duggan has heard all the talk of him being a high draft pick in this year’s AFL national draft.
“The speculation at the moment is hard to miss,” the Bacchus Marsh resident says.
“But I don’t let it get to my head and I keep enjoying my footy.
“You know it’s there, but you can’t let it affect you.”
Based on the 17-year-old’s start to the TAC Cup season, the speculation is likely to increase. Having spent last year as a defender, Duggan was thrown into the midfield mix in preseason.
He hasn’t looked back, averaging 22 possessions a game for the Jets.
“It’s obviously been good, moving into the midfield this season,” Duggan says.
“I played juniors as a midfielder and was happy to go back there.
“It was something I wanted to do at some stage this year, but I would have been happy to play anywhere.”
The Western Bulldogs supporter said he wasn’t content to stick to the centre of the field.
“I want to go forward as well and be a goalkicking midfielder.
“I did it last week as I had a knock on my leg and couldn’t play in the midfield. It was good fun and I want to show I can play all three areas of the ground.”
Duggan’s performances for the Jets in the TAC Cup led to him being selected in the Vic Metro squad for the under-18 national championships.
“We started training back in February and have been training every week.
“We had our first game a couple of weeks ago against Vic Country.
‘‘I played on a wing and thought I matched it with them.
“To play at that standard, it means you get to test yourself against the best.”
Duggan missed last weekend’s game against Western Australia in Perth, with coaches giving him the week off after a hectic start to the season that included a trip to Europe with the Australian Institute of Sport.
“It [the AIS trip] was one of the best things I’ve done – to travel overseas with your best mates and learn from legends of the game,’’ he said.
“The biggest thing is what you learn off-field on the trip. The coaches give you advice on professionalism and how to make it at the top level.”
Duggan hopes to take the field for the next national championship game, but he’s also focused on leading the Jets to the finals and helping his Ballarat school, St Patricks, win the schools shield.
