When Kayne Turner walked through the doors at Arden Street after being drafted by North late last year, his light frame alone suggested he was a long way off playing in the AFL. While his on-field courage and determination couldn’t be questioned, running out against hardened, seasoned bodies in the big league carrying just 65 kilograms would have been madness.
But eight kilos later and with more football knowledge crammed into his head than he could ever have imagined, his dream of making a debut for the Roos is closer to becoming a reality according to senior development coach Gavin Brown.
"He's knocking on the door...not from an offensive point of view, but certainly defensively,” Brown said after Turner’s 22 possession game for Werribee on Sunday.
“He puts an enormous amount of pressure on the opposition with his tackling from behind. He's putting his name up there."
Those comments hadn’t made their way back to Turner until NMFC.com.au passed them on, soon after the 18-year-old arrived home from school.
“I’m pretty surprised to be honest. They’re some pretty big compliments from Browny,” Turner said.
“I still think I have a lot of work to do but hearing things like that gives you confidence that you are doing the right things and are on the right track I suppose.
“It’s good to know that I’m being thought about in that way. I think I’ve come a long way from when I first came here and I’m doing everything I can to learn more about the game and the roles.”
Encouraged to play on instinct, Turner has played a variety of positions in the VFL. Most recently he’s found himself on a wing.
“I’m still getting used to the setups and running patterns and I have to get those right before I can lock down the wing position. I really enjoy the role though and like the freedom it gives you around the ground.
“I do like playing forward as well, but to be honest, I’ll play anywhere if it helps the team. Whatever Bulldog (Jarred Moore) and JL (John Lamont) want me to do, I’ll do it and do whatever I can to help us win.”
No matter what position he’s placed in, Turner says he’ll never stop getting his hands dirty. It’s the way he loves footy to be played.
“I’ve really built my game around tackling and locking the ball in. I love to harass and hound the opposition to create turnovers.”
While a game in the seniors would be ideal, Turner also has life outside of football to attend to. He’s currently completing VCE at Maribyrnong Secondary College and goes to class Monday and Tuesday afternoons after training, and all day on Thursday.
“I’d love to play this year and I’m doing everything I possibly can to make that dream come true, but I know it’s going to be tough to squeeze into the side. All I can do is keep doing everything right and hopefully it will happen one day.”
