Soldo seizing his momentDaniel Cherny
The Age
18 September 2019Soldo was the archetypal project player when he signed with Richmond in mid-2014, having been connected to Tigers recruiters by his cousin, then-Richmond ruckman Ivan Maric, whose mum Stef is Slav’s sister.
As has been well-documented, Soldo had been a talented junior basketballer and also played soccer growing in Canberra, where his parents still live. He’d never played a game of footy.
Yet little over five years since signing with the Tigers as a Category B rookie, Soldo is holding down Richmond's No. 1 ruck spot, and is two wins away from becoming an AFL premiership player.
“It sounds like a cliche, but it just happened so quickly,” Soldo told The Age this week, reflecting on his journey.
Having made his debut in 2017, Soldo only became a senior regular in the back half of this season. But it doesn’t mean he’s been copping more attention around the streets of Melbourne.
“I always get noticed because I’m 6-foot-8. I’m used to people looking at me," he said.
“I don’t really take notice of who knows I’m a footy player.”
So what has been the hardest part about the transition to footy? Mastering the drop punt? Learning ruck craft?
“At the club we’ve had some ruckmen come through who have all helped me in some way. Shaun Hampson was here, Ivan Maric my cousin, Orren Stephenson, Ben Griffiths. They’ve all passed on a little bit of their knowledge.
“They were very supportive. For them to step outside themselves and help me, I’ll be forever grateful.”
The biggest challenge, Soldo found, was one of attitude.
“Probably the hardest thing might be just the lifestyle of being a professional player, a professional athlete," he said.
"It was always just something I like doing, getting outside playing sports. When it became a job, that’s the hardest thing everyone has to adapt to.
“You’re up early, you’re training hard. There’s no such thing as a sick day.
“That’s what the best AFL teams are like, they work hard and all pre-season it’s a bit of a grind.”
Occasionally Soldo questions the point of it all, before reality dawns.
“You’ve got to look back and think, ‘why am I doing this?’ You can walk away. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to do it. Nothing’s easy in life. Even my times playing Playstation FIFA, I hate it at times, but you still love it so you keep playing.”
The enormous Tiger is making his mark. He’s played 12 senior games this year, holding the fort while Toby Nankervis was out through injury, and then keeping his position when Nankervis returned for the finals.
Soldo has also provided an ingenious flourish. Unable to tap the ball at a boundary throw-in late in the season, he decided to use his head. Literally.
“I just make stuff up, I guess,” Soldo said of his creative moment.
“I think just instincts kick in. Against Brisbane at the MCG in round 23, it was going to hit me in the face. I felt my arms were tied up.
“I think we just laugh about it and move on. The old-school footy players don’t like it, but nowadays you’ve just got to improvise.”
While he is innovative in one respect, Soldo is also something of a throwback, having grown a moustache since mid-season. Nev has had a mo for as long as Ivan can remember, so Soldo jnr decided to make the most of his dad's genes.
Not that he thinks he’s fooling anyone with a tough-guy look.
“No, they soften up for me!," he laughs.
Noah Balta and Mabior Chol have both had extended stints in the AFL this year, with both playing hybrid forward/ruck roles. With Soldo in the middle, Nankervis is also spending more time than usual close to goal.
Soldo wouldn’t mind extending his repertoire, but thinks that coach Damien Hardwick is happy with the status quo.
“I think 'Dimma' just wants to leave me in the midfield group. I’d love to go forward, even just rest up forward. I’ll just keep playing my role.”
Given his ability to pick up new skills, you wouldn’t put it past Soldo to make it inside 50 down the track.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/soldo-seizing-his-mo-ment-20190918-p52sop.html
