South Australian forward Gabriel Patterson believes the AFL experience in his blood gives him a “huge advantage” as he prepares for life at the next level.
The Glenelg prospect's Dad, Stephen, played 96 games for Collingwood, falling just short of the games threshold for father-son eligibility. Gabriel's sister, Violet, is currently listed at the Pies, and both have imparted wisdom.
“He's been great for motivation. He hasn't necessarily pushed football on me, but he's been great in terms of getting standards right at home. Diet's good at home, sleep. He knows how hard it is to make the AFL system, so he's been a great driver for me," Patterson told Zero Hanger.
"I've got a huge advantage; I almost lived it with Violet in the past few years, seeing her diet, her sleep; she's professional in everything she does.
"Dad's also told me old stories, which has been huge for me. I've got three older siblings; Violet is closest to me. We've been close from a young age. She tries to give me tips here and there. Any knowledge she has, she passes on."
A week of training at Adelaide as part of the AFL Academy further highlighted the professionalism required to thrive at the next level.
Patterson entered the year with great optimism after a stellar bottom-aged season, but injury prevented him from consistently playing his best footy.
A shoulder setback punctuated his year, causing him to miss 10 weeks and play some footy where he had about 50 per cent strength in his shoulder – though he stresses he does not want to make excuses for his up-and-down form.
“With the shoulder injury I was at some stages not playing my best footy and not playing on natural instinct, which I was last year, so to be able to outgrow that at the end of the year with goal setting and backing myself in," Patterson said.
"My training standards lifted and it switched my mindset which was really pleasing.”
Following the National Championships, Patterson sourced a personal trainer and mindset coach in a bid to rediscover his best footy.
Playing higher up the ground and getting midfield exposure throughout the year showed there is more to him than just being a busy, creative and opportunistic small forward, and he peaked at the right time for Glenelg.
His pre-eminent fortnight of footy came in the finals series for Glenelg, averaging 25 disposals, two goals and five clearances through Glenelg's two finals en route to the premiership.
“It's something I pride myself on playing on big stages and not letting the moment impact me, so that was really pleasing, and two consecutive good games was really good,” Patterson said.
"The professional standards (is something else I pride myself on). I want to prove I'm a hard worker, and it's been instilled in me since a young age.
“When I see something I want to impact it, and these last two years I've understood my role as a forward and how important defence is.”
When considering Patterson's scope, it is worth not only considering the injury-interrupted nature of his year but also his physical growth.
Often referred to as a small forward, across the last two years, he has grown to 10cm and now stands at 184cm, which allows him to impact more than just being a front-and-centre ground-level player.
“Last year I was playing half forward and deep forward, which was good, but speaking to my Glenelg coaches, they highlighted the importance of adding another string to my bow, so I got high half forward exposure and towards the end of the year got to express my passion for playing midfield, and it has been crucial for me, I think,” Patterson reflected.
