I couldn't see this anywhere hopefully I didn't miss it.
Young Tiger earns his stripes
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/general/young-tiger-earns-his-stripes/2008/02/23/1203467463416.htmlMartin Boulton | February 23, 2008
NEW Richmond vice-captain Nathan Foley grew up supporting Essendon, but he never had a red-andblack duffle coat or a favourite player.
Nor did he attend many Essendon games. As a youngster he preferred the trip from his home town of Colac to Geelong, where he’d sit in the stands at Kardinia Park with his father and marvel at Gary Ablett snr.
"We liked seeing him play, so when Geelong had a home game we use to duck down there and watch the great man," he told The Sunday Age.
While Ablett was performing heroics, Foley’s dreams of playing in the AFL were taking shape. He progressed through the junior ranks before playing for Colac seniors in the Geelong Football League and Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup.
In 2003, after a year in which he was named in the TAC Cup team of the year, he dared to imagine the national draft might be his big break. The 2003 draft came and went. The Western Bulldogs took Adam Cooney with the No. 1 pick, Andrew Walker went to Carlton at No. 2 and Melbourne took Colin Sylvia at No. 3.
In all, 81 names were called, but not Foley’s. Invited to train with Melbourne, Foley didn’t give up hope on being nabbed in the rookie draft. And sure enough, he was — by Richmond.
Foley spent the 2004 season playing for Coburg Tigers in the VFL and knew that 2005 was make or break for him. "In your second year on a rookie list you’re in a position where you have to play games or move on," he said.
"In that position you haven’t got many options . . . you just have to play good footy."
Within three years of that 2005 debut, Foley is recognised as one of the best young midfielders in the competition. Last year, he finished one vote behind Matthew Richardson in the Tigers’ best and fairest. But more importantly, at a time when Richmond is screaming out for young players to step up, Foley has made himself a leader. "Taking on a leadership role is a privilege and I was very proud to become vice-captain, I was over the moon," he said.
"You don’t knock those sort of opportunities back."
It has meant lifting his workrate on and off the field. At the Tigers’ community camp in Echuca this month, the 23-year-old found himself cramming his days with visits to schools, coaching clinics, training sessions, community forums, team meetings and leadership talks with fellow deputy Chris Newman and skipper Kane Johnson.
According to Geelong Falcons regional manager Michael Turner, the Tigers have chosen well. "The most important thing to me is attitude," Turner said on the Richmond website.
"And if you’ve got the attitude, you’re coachable and you’ve got the desire to work really hard, which he has, then . . . you can improve out of sight. It’s just a great story because he’s a fantastic kid."
Tiger fans probably remember Foley’s debut — round 10, 2005 — as the night Nathan Brown broke his leg. Now, on the eve of Foley’s 50th game, clubs that overlooked the diminutive midfielder are plotting how to limit his effectiveness.
Foley is positive about 2008, largely due to the positives that came out of the final rounds of 2007.
"Towards the end of last year we got to a stage where it could have gone either way . . . we could have ended up going backwards, but in the last four or five games we played some good, strong, competitive football," he said.
"A lot of younger blokes, like Will Thursfield, Luke McGuane, Jake King and Andrew Raines showed a lot of promise (and) we got a lot out of those games."
Before darting off to another meeting, he makes one more point. "It’s been a solid preseason. We’ve worked hard — and now we’re looking forward."
