Tara Murray
Calder Cannons defender Cody Brand moulds his game on Essendon legend Dustin Fletcher and he could soon find himself following in his footsteps.
Brand is seen as one of the top key defender prospects ahead of next month’s AFL draft with many clubs having a look at the key position player.
As an Next Generation Academy player linked to Essendon, the Bombers have the right to match any bid for Brand on draft night.
A die-hard Bombers supporter, playing for Essendon would be a dream come true for Brand.
“I grew up supporting Essendon and we’re an Essendon family through dad’s bloodline,” he said.
“It would honestly be a dream come true to play for the Bombers… But I’m open to any club.
“Anywhere would be a dream come true for me to play the sport I love, and do it professionally at the highest level.”
“I dreamt about it as a little kid running around the backyard, but I’m trying to stay as calm as possible.”
As an NGA member, Brand spent time with Essendon during the pre-season and has been in touch with them during the year.
He also had Fletcher, who played 400 AFL games for the Bombers, as his backline coach for school football at PEGS.
Brand said he was lucky to have been able to learn from Fletcher.
“He has definitely taught me a few of his tricks along the way and showed me how to go about your football on field and off field with game vision, how you can improve your defensive capabilities and one-on-one skills.”
Tony Lucas, who coached him at the Sunbury Lions, is another person who made a big impact on his career.
“I played my juniors at Macedon,” Brand said.
“I came back to Sunbury to play under Tony Lucas in the under-18s in 2018. Credit to him, he pushed me pretty hard during that year and probably developed me into the player I am physically and mentally today.“
Brand, who is doing his year 12 exams, said this year was about working on what he could with football cancelled due to COVID-19.
He feels like he’s done the work needed to get selected.
“I’ve done a fair bit of work in the previous years, hopefully to get my name read out on draft night,” he said.
“I took on a training program put together by our high performance manager at Vic Metro. It was a pretty rigorous program.
“I’ve tried to show my progression through lockdown. Speaking to clubs they’re been asking what have you been doing to stay fit and improving on your inadequacies.
“I’ve been trying to tick off little boxes where I want to improve.”
Brand was selected for the AFL combine and tested along with the other Victorian players earlier this month.
A hamstring strain meant he couldn’t do all the testing. Brand said it was still a good experience.
While the nerves have started to set in for Brand, he said his year 12 study was keeping him focused.
