GWS Giants midfielder Jack Ough will on Saturday become the second player this season from the Sunraysia region to make their AFL debut.
Ough, taken by the Giants with Pick 36 in the 2024 AFL National Draft follows fellow Wentworth product Sam Cumming onto the big stage.
Like Cumming, Ough's skills were sharpened under the tutelage of former 59-game Western Bulldogs and Essendon player Mark Alvey, before spending his later teenage years at boarding school in Ballarat.
“No matter what level he played at, Jack has always been clean,” Alvey told Zero Hanger.
“He was pretty raw as a 13-14-year-old but you could always see he was determined and trained with the right intensity which has held him in good stead going into the midfield.”
His mobility and ability to cover the ground has always been noted as a strength, but his willingness to use his size and craft around stoppage has been an area of focus since arriving at the Giants.
As Alvey highlights, it's a result of him not growing into his frame until he was older, but he has always had foundation AFL attributes which have shone bright in the VFL this season as he has averaged 31 disposals, six clearances and five tackles, as he has put all his tools together.
“He's always been really mature – it was more about his body developing because he would always do the extras,” Alvey noted.
“Once he developed his frame, it was about getting him to believe he could do special things because he was quiet and reserved and never put himself out there so we needed to instil belief he could reach great heights.
“He's hard working and humble; the sort of model person you would want at your organisation.”
Ough follows a rich history of AFL players from Victoria's remote north western Sunraysia region, which includes Dale Weightman, Richie Vandenberg and Jason Akermanis.
But having a pair of players in the big league currently is a significant boost as the region strives to continue to produce talent.
“I think it's great for the youngsters coming through the ranks,” Alvey said of Ough and Cumming's success.
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“One thing I say with the juniors is that you can achieve anything if you work hard enough; for them to see players that are just older than themselves gives them a blueprint to follow.”
Ough's Giants take on Fremantle at Canberra on Saturday at 1.35pm.
