EXCITING West Coast draftee Jack Petruccelle wants to light up the AFL stage with his blistering pace but is also keen to show he's more than just a speed demon.
The Victorian teenager, the Eagles' No.38 pick in the NAB AFL Draft – was the fastest player in this year's crop.
A line-breaking, high-leaping runner, Petruccelle said on Friday he dreams of playing "a few" AFL games next year.
The former Vic Metro basketball representative knows he has much work to do first to add a few kilos to his light frame, and to improve his kicking and general game sense.
Building endurance will also be a focus given Petruccelle conceded he'd recently run a "pretty average" 2km time trial.
"I like to play to my strengths – use my speed and my athletic ability. I back myself in the air, can take a good mark, and I'm a little bit of a goalsneak; I like to get forward and kick a goal," said Petruccelle, a boyhood Carlton fan who once idolised small forwards Eddie Betts and Jeff Garlett.
"That (speed) is really all that's been talked about (with) me, but I'd love to prove that there's a lot more to my game than just the speed."
Petruccelle said that if he broke through to AFL level next year he'd expect to play forward, where he believes he's best suited, and suggested he could eventually develop into an outside midfielder or wingman.
Role models are particularly important for young players, and Petruccelle has already developed great admiration for Eagles star midfielder Luke Shuey, whom he lived with during his first week in Perth.
"(That) was awesome. I got to see how a professional athlete really lives for a few days – how he eats and just his lifestyle really," he said.
"It would be amazing if I can get to that stage and be as professional and maybe, hopefully, as good as him one day."
Petruccelle's standout performances this year included a five-goal effort against Gippsland Power and a promising showing in the NAB AFL All Stars game on Grand Final morning.
