After last year’s state combine, Calder Cannons’ Karl Brown realised he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to make the AFL.
He had shown glimpses of what he could do, with an eight-goal performance against Northern Knights the standout moment.
But Brown knew his highlights reel would not be good enough to see him drafted.
“The state combine was something I was unprepared for,” he said last week.
“I didn’t work hard enough. I worked harder this pre-season and I won’t take it for granted if I get the chance again. I want to test better than last year.”
Despite being eligible to play open-age football, Brown decided his immediate future remained with the Cannons as a 19-year-old.
Callum Moore, who followed a similar path before being rookie-listed by Richmond, is one player Brown looks up to.
“I was always going to go back to the Cannons as they have looked after me and I think it’s the best chance for me to play my best football and get selected on an AFL list,” Brown said.
“I spoke with Kytey [regional manager Ian Kyte] and I didn’t look back.”
The decision to stay with the Cannons has so far proved to be the right one, with Brown selected in the Vic Metro side for the National Championships.
Brown was named at full-forward in their opening round match of the carnival against Vic Country on Monday.
His Cannons teammate, Hayden Blythe, was named in the back pocket.
Making the team compensates for some of the disappointment of last season, when injury ruined Brown’s chances of making the final squad.
“It’s obviously a good feeling and something I’ve always wanted to do,” Brown said. “Last year I was in the top 50 and then I did my knee and that put me out of the carnival. I just want to play my best football and take on the challenge to play at the next level. ”
Brown, who is mixing work and study this year, says playing a few games in the VFL later in the season is also a possibility.
“It’s not something we’ve really spoken about,” he said. “We’re focusing on the carnival first. I might speak to the club about maybe playing with Coburg.”
