When first-year Crow Sid Draper exited the field following Adelaide’s Round Seven loss to Fremantle at Optus Stadium, he had a decision to make.
Having played just one quarter as the substitute, Senior Coach Matthew Nicks and Midfield Coach Nathan van Berlo posed the question: “Do you want another game?”
That second game would be with the Crows’ SANFL side less than 48 hours later, on the other side of the country, as they faced Woodville-West Torrens on Sunday afternoon.
And with the alternative being a gruelling six kilometre running session on Optus Stadium, surrounded by elated opposition fans, the 18-year-old responded with a swift “yes.”
Speaking to AFC Media, Draper went into detail about the situation, and how he handled the unique challenge of playing two games in one weekend.
“I did what I had to do really, that is probably the best way to describe it to be honest,” Draper said.
“I was more than happy to do it (play the two games), it was either play in the SANFL game or do about 6kms of running on Optus Stadium with all the Freo fans looking at you and celebrating their win.
“It was challenging to wrap my head around playing two games in the space of two days.
“But to be honest, the overwhelming feeling across the whole weekend was just excitement, we have a great team in the SANFL and I was super keen to just get out there and play.”
Draper returned to the SANFL for the first time since playing nine league games for South Adelaide prior to being drafted.
The midfielder used the familiarity with the level to help drive his confidence, and impressed as a result, picking up a game-high 29 disposals and eight clearances.
“I loved every minute of it, even though we unfortunately didn’t get the reward of the win, from a personal point of view it was great to be able to play a full game in the midfield. ” Draper said.
“The best way to improve at football is playing football, so to get a run in a league I was used to playing in last year, it did wonders for my confidence.
“I just got back to playing football I guess, it (playing in the SANFL) allowed me to work on some of things I’ve been working on at AFL level but in the SANFL.
“It reinforced what I know I can do on the offensive side of things, but also showed me that I’ve still got a long way to go in terms of my work ons, and I’m excited to take that challenge on.”
As for how he has reflected on his first seven weeks of AFL football, he said the experience had been everything he’d hoped, and more.
“I’m loving it at the moment, every part of it (playing AFL footy) has been a dream come true,” Draper said.
“We’ve experienced some highs and some lows, and to be a part of it has been so unreal, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity I’ve gotten to play for this Club.
“Every day I come here it’s exciting, wanting to get better, everyone here is wanting to get better as well. It is just such a great environment for me to develop in.”
