HOW TIGERS DRAFTEE FOUND FOOTY FOLLOWING FREAK EVENTBy Andrew Slevison
SEN
9 December 2022Steely Green didn’t walk the traditional pathway to football that has been tread so many times before.
The Western Australian youngster, 18, did not grow up on a footy field, instead preferring the open waters and small sailing boats over Sherrins and shorts.
If it wasn’t for a freak accident, Green might never have taken up the sport therefore would not have been drafted by Richmond with pick 55 in last month’s National Draft.
When he was about 14 years of age - “between 13 and 15” he says - he was on the receiving end of a lightning strike when out on the water near the South Perth Yacht Club.
He says he has his mother to thank for making him wear his life-saving rubber boots on the day of the freak event.
“It’s a bit of a weird one, but I actually used to do high-level, competitive sailing,” Green explained on SEN Afternoons.
“One day I was out sailing, I had just finished up and this storm came out of nowhere. As I was packing up, I put my hand up on the mast and got a second-degree lightning strike through the mast.
“I was very lucky that I had my rubber boots on which saved me. Lucky my mum told me to put them on, I had never wore them in my life beforehand. For some reason mum just had that mum knowledge and knew what was going on.
“The ambo people were cutting through my clothes and they said, ‘Mate, you’re so lucky you were wearing your boots’.
“I’m pretty lucky to be here and pretty lucky to start my footy journey like that.”
It was during his recovery from the incident that Green was struck by the game of footy.
He was taken by the sport when watching a local game and quickly signed up to play with Jandakot Jets, before finding his way to WAFL club South Fremantle.
From there he flourished, playing for the WA U18 side, and in 2022 he found his way onto an AFL list with the Tigers.
“I had my arm in a sling and walked down to a local match,” he added.
“I just loved the environment. The boys were kicking a goal and how they were celebrating and getting around each other, I thought it was everything.
“Three years later, here I am.”
In season 2021, Green found his feet in the Colts with the Bulldogs before progressing to the senior team this year, subsequently catching the eye of Richmond’s recruiters.
“I played about 10 games of Colts last year but this year I just managed to put in a good pre-season,” he said further.
“I got a personal trainer who has just been awesome for me and led me to where I am now.
“I’m just so grateful that I decided to really flick the switch and take footy seriously. I just acknowledged the things I needed to clean up and work on and I managed to work on them and get myself onto a list.
“I’m so happy with how I went about it, I’m pretty stoked.”
Green describes himself as an “inside, hard-ball get” player “who gives people a few bruises and loves getting bruised”.
The hard nut will hope to bring that with him to Punt Road where he will hope to play alongside Dustin Martin, who he admits he has been a little starstruck by already.
“Just standing next to Dustin Martin, I think I’ve been caught out a few times just looking at him,” he laughed.
“It still hasn’t quite kicked in yet.
“He came up to me and said, ‘How are you going, it’s Dusty’. I said, ‘Yep, I know you mate’.
“He’s good. He’s pretty quiet so I didn’t expect that, but a good bloke.”
Green played eight senior games for South Fremantle last season, averaging just over 18 disposals primarily as a small defender while also spending some time in the midfield.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/12/09/how-tigers-draftee-found-footy-following-freak-event/
