Murray Bushrangers AFL Draft prospect Blake Newton had never been better placed for a breakthrough season.
A monstrous pre-season where he trained significantly with Port Adelaide's Joe Berry – a former Bushrangers teammate – targeted at increasing his critiqued running power had him strongly positioned to silence the doubters.
An ACL rupture a fortnight into the season was a cruel blow – but a goodwill gesture by Carlton youngster Jagga Smith, whose first year on an AFL list was ruined by the same injury, made the period more bearable.
“(Jagga) reached out a week after my surgery,” Newton told Zero Hanger.
“He said to me to look at it with a different perspective. When you're ready again, find areas to improve. I might not be able to run or change direction for a while, but you can always get a football in your hand and do some little touch things, kick, do skills. I just thought that was a big point he made to me.
“It was a new challenge to take on, and you will come out a better footballer and person.
Ever since he said that to me, you look at it as ‘what can you do?'
“I have to go through it no matter what, so I might as well try and do whatever I can to keep me involved in what I loved doing.”
Newton made the decision to do unscored VCE having missed eight weeks of schooling as a result of the injury.
He spent time in the coaches' box at the Bushrangers after a pre-season where he shaved his two-kilometre time trial from 7.20 to 6.40.
“When it happened, I instantly thought it was a weird feeling. You kind of know instantly what you've done. It's pretty painful,” Newton said.
“I came off and went to the trainers' room with the physio, and at the start you think, am I going to come back better? You start thinking things you probably shouldn't. My season's done, my draft chances are probably done, those were the initial thoughts.”
Newton, who models his game on Jamie Elliott and Shai Bolton, has had a handful of conversations with AFL clubs but is realistic about his chances and plans to return to the Bushrangers as a 19-year-old if he does not get an AFL list spot this year.
He is expecting to be available for Round 1 next year, back running three times a week and two months into change of direction work.
Training with Berry for six weeks across the summer gave Newton an insight into the aerobic base required to reach the next level.
“We trained together two to three times a week – we'd do skills sessions together, and then once or twice we would do running sessions with his AFL program,” Newton said.
“It was good to see what the next level was like. Someone like Joe – his footwork and the way he goes about it gave me a lesson of what I have to do.”
While realistic about the prospect of getting an opportunity, the powerful utility is confident that if one was forthcoming, he has the attributes to make a mark at the next level.
“I really want to show the running power I've now got and the ability to get up and down the ground. I could tell the difference from this year to last year; I was feeling better running out games,” Newton noted.
“My power and speed would impact the game well in a high-speed running game. I can connect in transition as well.”
