Former Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebel Harry Sharp got his first taste of the AFL on Monday night, as Brisbane defeated the Gold Coast Suns by 28 points in its AAMI Community Series game.
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The running machine was able to pick up 10 disposals, six contested possessions, five score involvements, three intercept possessions and four inside 50s, all while going at 80 percent efficiency.
He managed to run onto a loose ball and kick a goal to hand the Lions an 11-point lead late in the third quarter.
"I could sort of see it coming and I knew Charlie saw me running down the wing so I got to the back of the stoppage and lucky enough to snag it," he told The Courier.
The goal contributed to Brisbane's dominant second half, where they kicked 7.8 to 0.2 in the third term and 6.1 to 5.4 in the fourth quarter.
He said it was great to be out on an AFL field and experiencing the top level.
"It was definitely a step up from what I had been playing in the VFL in the few weeks before hand. Faster paced footy, but I enjoyed it, the boys welcomed me in well," he said.
His good form in the reserves and solid first senior game has put him in front of more experienced players like Rhys Mathieson and former Rebel Thomas Berry, who were both named as emergencies.
The one dampener on Brisbane's win was the ACL rupture to young gun Cam Rayner.
Sharp was taken with pick 43 in last year's draft by Brisbane and joined former Rebels Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod and Tom Berry at the club.
He said having those guys at the club has been a great help in his transition from Ballarat to Brisbane.
"It's been a big benefit for me. They're always picking me up and taking me out for dinner, so it's good to have blokes like that up here and it's certainly made the transition pretty smooth," he said.
"(It's) all things outside of footy which is the best part, it's not just always with them at the footy club it's outside of the footy club as well, so that's been the best thing about it."
Due to COVID-19 forcing the 2020 NAB League Boys season to be cancelled, Sharp had to rely on his 2019 form as a bottom-ager to impress recruiters before the national draft. He managed nine games that season for the GWV Rebels.
His on field performance was only helped by his record breaking five minute and 28 second two-kilometre time trial at the national combine.
The time smashed former Rebel Jay Rantall's previous record of five minutes and 50 seconds, set at the 2019 combine.
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