Northern Knights’ Patrick Lipinski wasn’t on the radar of AFL clubs at the start of the TAC Cup season.
He played only two TAC Cup games last year – after his form with Eltham warranted a call-up late in the season – and Lipinski was initially just happy to make the Knights squad.
It also meant giving up his other sporting love, basketball.
“I love football a lot more than basketball so I decided to give it a crack,” he said last week.
“I wanted to see how I went and I wanted to come into the squad and play some good football.
“I’d been with the under-16 Knights squad as a bottom-age player before being cut after a few weeks.”
Starting this season in the forward line, where he had played all his junior football, Lipinski showed glimpses of what he could do and kicked at least a goal in each of the six rounds.
But it was a move into the midfield which got everyone talking, with two best-on-ground performances.
A broken hand soon grounded him, but he had shown enough for AFL recruiters to like what they saw.
Last week, he was the only Knights player named for October’s AFL national combine.
The top draft prospects from across Australia are invited to the combine to test their skills in front of AFL clubs before the national draft.
“I’m honoured and surprised,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t even on a list last year and I broke my hand and missed the last six games.
“Being selected gives me my hope that I can get to the next level.”
Lipinski said he had enjoyed the move into the midfield.
“I’m more involved in the play,” he said.
“I’ve just got to use my skills and win the ball.
“My fitness base was already pretty good as the Knights gave us a good program.
“I was pretty excited to see how it went. “
The 18-year-old is looking forward to returning to the field before going to the combine as he has not played since round nine.
“I’ll be back next week and get to play three games,” he said.
“I’m not putting any pressure on myself. I just want to get back to playing some good football, like I did earlier in the season.”
Three of Lipinski’s Knights teammates, Luke Bunker, Lachlan Murphy and Matthew Signorello, have been selected to test at the Victorian state combine.
There was no TAC Cup action last weekend, with the Knights next match against the North Ballarat Rebels on Saturday.
