Vickery gets to stay in Tigerland fold
Michael Gleeson | November 30, 2008
TY VICKERY was three when his dad thought he might have something as a player.
"I remember this one day, he was about three years of age, and I kicked the ball along the ground and he was with his sister and he automatically cut her off and ran between her and the ball to pick it up and kick it back to me, and I thought then, 'Oh, he's got a bit in him'," John Vickery recalled yesterday.
"He then started playing when he was seven, playing under nines at Caulfield, and he was in the best players all the time so I knew he had something. He was always tall, always played in the ruck or centre half-forward from the time he was seven onwards, and by the time he was 10 or 11 he was really dominating the ruck contests."
He had some pedigree for making a judgement of these types, does John Vickery. He was at Collingwood in 1971 and 1972 and had just made his breakthrough to the senior side when, in just his fourth game, he backed into a goal post and broke his back.
Specialists told him he would never play sport again and, while he did not manage to return to VFL football, he did go on to play more than 300 games around the country.
For years now, he has been the boxing coach helping out at Richmond with the players in rehabilitation and still has the look of a man able to pull on a jumper, or get in the ring. He and the Tigers had long harboured a desire to get Ty to Punt Road, but with Port Adelaide expressing keen interest, doubted that he would slide through to them. Only in recent weeks as word out of Alberton suggested they might be looking at a midfielder instead of a ruckman did they figure on the possibility that Ty might still be available at pick eight.
"I just didn't think two months ago he would get to Richmond with all the talk going on, so it is just great. (Brian) 'Choco' Royal was just looking at me the whole time as the names were being read out, and as soon as Hamish Hartlett's name was read out for Port Adelaide he just gave me the biggest smile and put the thumbs up and we were there," Vickery said.
"As soon as Ty's name was called out his legs started to go up and down, he really wanted to get to Richmond, he was quite willing to go to Port Adelaide or wherever might have drafted him, but it was a good choice as far as he is concerned."
Ty seemingly has his father's work ethic, having trained with his dad at the Richmond gym over the past six weeks, along with a few mates including James Strauss, who was drafted by Melbourne at pick 19.
"I said to him before, 'Mate, you think I have been training you hard the last couple of years — you ain't seen nothing yet'," Vickery said.
Ty had been given enough feedback from clubs to know he was likely to be taken early in the draft, but was still anxious none the less.
"The word the last few weeks was that Port would go for a midfielder so when they had their pick I knew I was a massive chance to stay in Melbourne and I was very relieved and the whole family is very happy," Ty said.
"There were a lot of jokes going around from the recruiters that they were too scared not to pick me with Dad there. But we are all very comfortable with it, I have been training there for a good two years now, using their facilities, so I am very familiar with the place."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/vickery-gets-to-stay-in-tigerland-fold/2008/11/29/1227491900966.html
