HAVING finished school in 2020, Charlie Molan has had plenty of time over the past year to work on his football craft.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Consistency, reliability, leadership and flexibility are all keys to the 18-year-old from Mount Clear who is one of a handful of possible AFL draftees from the GWV Rebels.
READ MORE SPORT:
Having been invited to the Draft Combine, Molan is very much in the minds of AFL clubs who want a reliable midfielder they know will always get the job done. A Richmond Tigers fan, Molan has modelled his game on triple-premiership star Kane Lambert and the 'silk' of Hawthorn legend Shaun Burgoyne.
He sees himself as a late pick, or potential rookie option.
"It's been pretty good not being able to worry about school, just work here and there and have more focus, more time to study the game and work on my craft," he said.
"I've learned more about skill-based stuff and body work and technique when going at the footy. The work at stoppages and things like that. I've had plenty of time to go to the gym and had some great help.
"I thought towards the end of the season, I really started to play pretty well and find some form."
Molan has excelled on the wing, putting his endurance to the test and making sure he gets himself to as many contests as possible.
He said he saw himself as, at best, a late draft pick-up or possible rookie list.
"I've had a couple of chats throughout the year, not too many. I've had a handful reach out after a combine with a couple of zoom calls," he said.
"I think my biggest chance will be late draft or rookie, probably after 40.
"It's a bit tougher on clubs this year for clubs to pick, they only really have a couple of games to go off. All last year being ruled out and this year only playing 10-15 games. It's been tough getting people to recognise you."
Molan was a top basketballer, making numerous Vic. Country teams growing up, but chose football due to greater opportunities.
"I reckon about halfway through the 18s, I thought this will be my last year of basketball, I really wanted to pursue footy," he said.
"I was very limited with the amount of footy games I could play because of basketball.
"It's a lot tougher to make it into the high performance teams with basketball, less teams, less positions available.
"I thought that footy would be the better option for me.
"I was never going to be much more than a 6 foot 2 player, with football, there's a lot of different opportunities."
Molan is hoping to follow in the footsteps of sister Sophie, who was pick seven to Richmond in the 2019 AFL Women's draft.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.