{"id":71595,"date":"2020-09-03T17:50:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T07:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/afl.draftcentral.localhost\/?p=71595"},"modified":"2020-09-03T17:50:03","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T07:50:03","slug":"resilience-through-recovery-sees-powell-reap-benefits-in-sanfl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2020\/09\/03\/resilience-through-recovery-sees-powell-reap-benefits-in-sanfl\/","title":{"rendered":"Resilience through recovery sees Powell reap benefits in SANFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

STURT midfielder Tom Powell<\/strong><\/a> has <\/span>taken th<\/span>e SANFL under-18 competition <\/span>by <\/span>the<\/span> scruff of the neck\u00a0<\/span>so far <\/span>in season 2020<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In doing so, the <\/span>teenager<\/span> has<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>announced himself as one of South Australia\u2019s <\/span>most promising\u00a0<\/span>draft <\/span>hopefuls<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As of Round 10, <\/span>the inside midfielder\u00a0<\/span>is averaging a <\/span>competition<\/span>-high 36 disposals and nine clearances per game<\/span>,<\/span> for\u00a0<\/span>a Sturt side currently sitting at the top of the Under 18s la<\/span>dder<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Powell\u2019s<\/span> football<\/span>\u00a0journey has followed a traditional pathway, enrolling in <\/span>Auskick<\/span> at a young age before eventually joining the underage ranks at the <\/span>Unley<\/span> Jets, the same junior club as Collingwood ruckman\u00a0Brodie Grundy<\/strong> and Richmond bigman Callum Coleman-Jones<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI began playing school football when I moved to Scotch College in Year 8 and played right up to Year 12,\u201d Powell said, who<\/span>\u00a0first <\/span>donned\u00a0<\/span>the iconic double blue<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of Sturt\u00a0<\/span>at<\/span> under-13<\/span>s<\/span> level.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>“Playing as a midfielder has always been my best and most preferred position, and I rotate through a high half-forward role each quarter at Sturt which helps build my craft around goals. “I like to think I work hard to find the ball which is maybe why I get a few disposals but the next step for my game is being able to use it better and be more damaging.”<\/p>\n

Having finished his schooling at Scotch in 2019, Powell beg<\/span>a<\/span>n studying <\/span>c<\/span>ommerce at the University of Adelaide<\/span>\u00a0this year<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m finding university studies slightly more flexible and independent than Year 12, so I think this year especially I\u2019ve found a better balance between my studies and football,\u201d <\/span>Powell told Draft Central<\/em><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Powell has <\/span>been a driving force behind the Double Blues\u2019 success<\/span>es<\/span> to-date<\/span>, but it hasn\u2019t been all smooth sailing for the on-baller, who was forced to\u00a0<\/span>battle through injury last season.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had an issue with my hip last year which hindered my performance a little bit,<\/span>\u00a0but\u00a0I had an operation on it in mid-October last year<\/span> and it feels as good as new now,<\/span>\u201d he said<\/span>.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>\u201cI was recovering from surgery throughout the Christmas period\u00a0<\/span>and the first two SA Academy Hub camps\u00a0<\/span>which was quite challenging<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>(But)\u00a0<\/span>I <\/span>tried to stay\u00a0involved and help the team off the field whe<\/span>re<\/span>ver I could<\/span> and<\/span> still learnt<\/span> a lot from the coaches and the other elite players during this time which was very beneficial<\/span> for me<\/span>.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Powell\u2019s surgery meant he had a <\/span>dis<\/span>rupted\u00a0<\/span>start to preseason<\/span>\u00a0training<\/span>, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, <\/span>postponing\u00a0<\/span>the <\/span>start of the\u00a0<\/span>SANFL s<\/span>eason.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis <\/span>allowed<\/span> me to have a longer preseason from January to March and <\/span>co<\/span>mplete<\/span> a bit of extra rehab <\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>make <\/span>sure my hip had great strength and was in prime condition,\u201d <\/span>he <\/span>said<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Powell described himself as “pretty easy going and relaxed” outside of football, but his performances on the field have been anything but.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the key things for me have just been making sure I never miss any training sessions and when I\u2019m training, to do it at full intensity so that I can keep improving,” he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cPlaying with a great team and coaching staff at Sturt has also allowed me to find a bit of form so I\u2019m grateful for that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Sturt\u2019s<\/span> recent<\/span> Round 10 victory over<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>West Adelaide, Powell <\/span>ran amok, <\/span>amassing\u00a0<\/span>a staggering<\/span> 47 disposals, two goals<\/span> and ten clearances in a performance which <\/span>further ignited\u00a0<\/span>calls for <\/span>a<\/span> L<\/span>eague debut.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t like to look too far into the future, but\u00a0I enjoy training with the seniors and hope to get an opportunity at some stage as I know it will help improve my footy, playing against bigger bodies,” Powell said.<\/p>\n

The 180cm <\/span>Powell\u00a0identified\u00a0<\/span>his cleanness at ground level and quick handballing skills as <\/span>some of the\u00a0<\/span>strengths of his game.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a super fast player, so being clean gives me a bit more time to make decisions and get the ball out to my teammates from stoppages,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite living in South Australia, the teenager has supported the Gold Coast Suns since Gary Ablett<\/strong> signed <\/span>with the Queensland club<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and <\/span>model<\/span>s<\/span> his game around Brisbane ball-magnet Lachie Neale<\/strong> and Collingwood superstar Adam Treloar<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey use their hands around stoppages really well and I would like to implement a bit more run and carry as well as improving my ability to hit the scoreboard like these players do<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>he said<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Powell has worked hard on his tackling technique <\/span>throughout the season<\/span>, after recognising it as an area for improvement<\/span>\u00a0ahead of his top-aged season.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI also think if I were to increase my off<\/span>–<\/span>ball running and endurance it would make me a better player as a whole and help the team more,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>midfielder\u00a0<\/span>is one of the leading prospects in a\u00a0talented South Australian crop<\/span>\u00a0set to lock-horns with Western Australia in the coming months.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRiley <\/strong><\/span>Thilthorpe<\/strong> is a fantastic player and an especially good leader among<\/span>st<\/span> the SA Hub grou<\/span>p and\u00a0<\/span>Luke Edwards<\/strong> and Mani Liddy<\/strong> are challenging to match up against in-game and at training,\u201d <\/span>he sai<\/span>d<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m quite close with Lewis Rayson<\/strong> (Glenelg), Henry Nelligan<\/strong> (Norwood) and the Sturt boys too,\u201d Powell said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although a<\/span> date for the AFL Draft is yet to be announced, Powell <\/span>insists he\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>taking <\/span>things\u00a0<\/span>one game\u00a0<\/span>at a time and <\/span>only\u00a0<\/span>worrying about <\/span>what\u00a0<\/span>he<\/span> can control<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“If we can hold on and make finals, obviously winning a premiership with my teammates at Under 18s level would be awesome,” Powell said. \u201cI<\/span>\u2019ve <\/span>had a couple chats with some <\/span>(AFL)\u00a0<\/span>clubs but they\u2019re mainly just trying to get to know me as a person, so it\u2019s pretty relaxed.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Having<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>worked hard to\u00a0<\/span>overcom<\/span>e<\/span> his injury concerns, t<\/span>he prolific ball-winner <\/span>is <\/span>now\u00a0<\/span>reaping the rewards of resilience and persistence. He was among those named to test in the AFL Draft Combine<\/a>, which will be held on September 30 in South Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n

>> Tom Powell Draft Watch<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Picture:<\/strong> Mel Faull\/SANFL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

STURT midfielder Tom Powell has taken the SANFL under-18 competition by the scruff of the neck\u00a0so far in season 2020.\u00a0In doing so, the teenager has\u00a0announced himself as one of South Australia\u2019s most promising\u00a0draft hopefuls.\u00a0As of Round 10, the inside midfielder\u00a0is averaging a competition-high 36 disposals and nine clearances per game, for\u00a0a Sturt side currently sitting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":69446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,8,11725,3130,15,11604],"tags":[6966,4523,251,3539,5685,5033,9394,2703,5860,2509,11455],"class_list":["post-71595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature-articles","category-news","category-match-day-sanfl","category-south-australia","category-state-leagues","category-sturt","tag-adam-treloar","tag-brodie-grundy","tag-callum-coleman-jones","tag-gary-ablett","tag-henry-nelligan","tag-lachie-neale","tag-lewis-rayson","tag-luke-edwards","tag-mani-liddy","tag-riley-thilthorpe","tag-tom-powell"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}