Ballarat's Clifton will play AFL, says Sheedy

GWS COACH Kevin Sheedy says Ballarat’s Steve Clifton will play AFL next year.Sheedy told The Courier that the North Ballarat Roosters premiership midfielder had worked hard to improve his game the past year on the Greater Western Sydney list. And Clifton had the drive to take his game to AFL level.“Steve Clifton’s been very good for our club – he’s got great leadership qualities, a heart of gold and, importantly, he’s determined to see if he’s good enough to make it,” Sheedy said.“As a new club, we’ve got to get everything right from our football attitude to the people trying to get us there. We might get some brilliant players in the first year, we might get some superstars, and we might just get some good footballers but the main thing is that we want everyone trying their best.”Clifton was elevated to the Giants’ senior roster last week after a year on the club’s rookie list as the club prepares to launch into the AFL.He joined the Giants last December as the number one pick in the AFL rookie draft.Sheedy said the Giants had a lot of thank you messages to make about Ballarat’s football development ranks.The AFL legend was in town as guest speaker at Ballarat Grammar’s Sport by Wendouree gala dinner on Saturday night.The Giants’ list also includes Jeremy Cameron, from Dartmoor in the Western District, and Kurt Aylett, from Leeton in southern New South Wales, who were both recruited via North Ballarat Rebels. Sheedy said Cameron would have been a likely top-five draft pick this year had the Giants not signed him first.The young forward has already started to attract attention for the Giants in the North East Australian Football League and is tipped to make his AFL debut early in the season.Aylett, 19, had a full knee reconstruction in August and is on a four-year deal with the Giants. Sheedy said the hometown of all three players highlighted how GWS was very much an Australian side, drawing on players from across the nation.The introduction of two new AFL teams, in Gold Coast and GWS, creates about 800 contracted players on AFL lists which Sheedy said was an impressive figure for a nation with the population of Australia.Sheedy and his team have scoured the continent to give the Giants every possible chance of finding the right players.And he is paying close attention to Ballarat.There is one Ballarat legend Sheedy would particularly love on his team but who has eluded him so far. An AFL premiership player and champion residing deep in the Great Southern Highlands of New South Wales.“Tony ‘Plugger’ Lockett,” Sheedy said.“He’s an absolute superstar and he would be a fantastic person to work with our young players.”GWS makes its AFL debut against Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium on March 24 and the Giants will play their first home game at their newly developed Skoda Stadium against Essendon on May 26.