FROM playing Auskick in Hong Kong to earning selection in last year’s National Futures match, Will Jenkin is traversing a unique path through his footballing career. What’s more, he’s doing it alongside twin brother Guy, with the pair being equal parts inseparable and impossible to tell apart.

Jenkin did not partake in the Futures match after a bout of appendicitis, which has gone on to impact his preseason this year. Still, the 17-year-old wingman got to spend time learning from Sydney’s senior group and models his game on fellow Swans Academy product Errol Gulden.

We sat down for an interview with Jenkin at the Swans Academy’s preseason testing combine on Saturday.

Q&A

Q: Will, can you walk me through your football journey so far?

WJ: I started playing footy when I was about four down at the Manly Bombers. Then I moved to Hong Kong and lived there for seven years until I was 11 and played Auskick over there, so that was pretty interesting. It was actually pretty good, we had a fair few Aussies over there. Then we came back when I was 11 and I joined the Academy in Under 12s, and have been here ever since.

Q: How has your preseason been this time around?

WJ: It’s been pretty interrupted. I had an appendix surgery around the Futures game last year. Then after that I got an infection from that surgery so I was in hospital for about three weeks. That end up causing a niggle in my right hip and so I’m just getting back into things now.

Q: Have you had the opportunity to be around the senior group at all?

WJ: We spent a week with them before Christmas, which was really good. We weren’t training, but we were just around them. Then after Christmas we spent another week with them and we were doing a bit of training, but they were also doing a lot of match-sim stuff, so we couldn’t get too involved but it was really good.

Q: Is there a player you try to model your game on?

WJ: Errol Gulden is obviously a bit of a standout. Just his ball use and the way he goes about it. And just in general, all of the [AFL Swans’] professionalism on and off the field. It’s been amazing to see.

Q: Where do you think you’ll fit in this year in terms of position and role?

WJ: I think wing again, and then probably a bit of half-back and maybe a bit of mid I get thrown in there as well.

Q: What are some of your strengths, and areas for improvement?

WJ: I’d say my running ability and footy IQ are probably my main two strengths. A weakness is probably my strength, which I’d like to improve on and put on a bit of size.

Q: Where do you and your brother differ in terms of footballing ability?

WJ: I’d say Guy is more of a forward [half] sort of player. I think he’s a bit more attacking than I am, which is a weapon in itself that’s really good to have. So I’d like to add that to my game.

Q: Are you guys competitive with each other?

WJ: Oh yeah, very… We have a little reserve at the back of our place, so a lot of stuff happens there. But we also get pretty annoyed at each other. We just do [bad] kicks to each other and stuff like that, so yeah we’re pretty competitive.

Q: What kind of goals did you set up to achieve this year?

WJ: Initially I just like want to get back fit and healthy and then be consistent throughout the whole year. I want to make sure I show all my strengths and that sort of thing. Then hopefully I’ll go on to get drafted.

Q: Which teammate do you think we should look out for to have a big season?

WJ: Noah Cooke. He was injured last year, he had a bit of a hammy injury but he’s coming back really strong and he’s looking really good.