After missing out on the 2017 AFL Draft, Quentin Montanaro is hoping that the North Melbourne VFL team can be his route into the big time.
Recruited from the Sandringham Dragons TAC Cup team, Montanaro said the opportunity to join a VFL program like the North’s was too good an opportunity to turn down.
“Coming from the Sandringham Dragons, I got offered a spot here at North and thought what better place to develop my footy,” he told North Media.
“It’s been awesome so far, and all the boys have been great so far. With North being aligned with an AFL program, I thought it was the best place for me to have a crack at AFL footy.”
Being involved with the AFL boys has been a welcome shock for Montanaro, and this was evident when the VFL list took on the AFL list in an intra-club match simulation in January.
“Coming out of under-18’s, I’ve never really had a crack at senior footy, so it was pretty different,” he said.
“Coming out and playing against the AFL boys was a bit of a shock to the system, but it was unreal to play against blokes that you see on the telly growing up.”
As well as the club’s AFL affiliated program, Montanaro is looking forward to working with the newly appointed VFL leadership group.
“It’s awesome to have such a strong leadership group, especially for a young guy like myself,” he said.
“There’s a really good balance of experience and youth, and hopefully those guys can take us in the right direction and get the best out of us this year.”
Within the leadership group, Montanaro is looking up to a couple of players in particular.
“CJ (Chris Jansen) and Harps (Jordan Harper) have come across and played footy at really high levels, and from what I’ve seen they are looking really good,” he sad.
“If I could be similar to those guys as a player myself, that would be awesome. ”
And as to what North fans can expect from Montanaro in the VFL.
“I’m mainly a running player, and mainly an outside player. I base my game around my skills and my ability to find the footy on the outside,” he added.
“I’m hoping to integrate some more inside game to my footy, and hopefully I can become a more balanced player in the future.”
