Patrick hoping lightning strikes twice

EIGHT weeks ago Northern Territory sensation Liam Patrick was poised to become the best-kept secret in this year’s draft period.

Patrick, 21, was a stranger to most AFL recruiters having played the majority of his senior football in the Lajamanu community, 550kms south-west of Katherine.

The skinny goalkicker, who tried out with the NT Thunder as a teenager, thought his chance at the big time had passed and turned his attention to being a good husband to wife, Loretta, and father to newborn son, Mazlin.

But the rapid rise to fame of his younger cousin and Melbourne forward, Liam Jurrah, convinced him to give a career in the AFL one last go.

He registered with the Wanderers football club, home of Port Adelaide star Daniel Motlop, in the Northern Territory Football League and is now just days away from following in his trailblazing cousin’s footsteps.

Patrick, who made the 950km drive to Darwin prior to each game, guided Wanderers to three-straight wins to start the season but after the fourth game told coach Paul Motlop he was heading back to Lajamanu.

He’d already attracted interest from Melbourne and Hawthorn, which encouraged him to keep a low profile in the lead up to the December drafts.

“Liam had only played three or four games for us and pretty good ones too when he said he was going back home," Motlop told afl.com.au.

"The main idea behind him coming to play with Wanderers was to show he could commit to the football season in the Darwin competition,” Motlop told afl.com.au.

“It was then he told me that one club had told him were going to pick him up and that they didn’t want any other clubs to see him. We left it at that and we were hopeful that it would work out for him.”

But the two Melbourne-based clubs failed in their attempts to keep the raw utility under wraps and he was lured back to Darwin by the promise that more clubs, including North Melbourne and the Gold Coast, would come to see him play.

Patrick has not escaped the inevitable comparisons with Jurrah and pundits are divided in their opinions of the skilful pair, who grew up playing football together and occasionally against one another.

Jurrah is said to have the better skills but Patrick, nicknamed the ‘Lajamanu Lightning Bolt’, has impressed observers with his phenomenal vertical leap.

Patrick has dominated games in the ruck for Wanderers despite standing just 185cm tall.
In round two, he was named best on ground after being shifted into the middle and dragging his side back from 10 goals down in the third term to snatch a six-point win over league leaders, the Tiwi Bombers.

“Liam’s injected a bit more enthusiasm to the team with the style of football he plays. He’s an excitement machine,” Motlop said.

“He’s got a huge leap and he’s got great pace. He’s got everything required to play AFL footy.”

Essendon has joined the list of potential suitors for the Lajamanu Lightning Bolt’s services, dimming Hawthorn and Melbourne’s hopes of securing him with a pre-season or rookie draft pick.

Patrick will train with the Bombers at Windy Hill this week and will remain in Melbourne to watch Thursday’s national draft, where he’s likely to hear his name called by an AFL club.

Motlop said the entire Northern Territory would be behind the popular local on Thursday night.

“From the place guys these guys - Liam Jurrah and Liam Patrick - have come from to go on and play AFL football is unbelievable,” he said.

“I think what Liam Jurrah has done and, hopefully now, what Liam [Patrick] is doing will set a lot of boys’ dreams alight.”

Log on to afl.com.au on D-day, Thursday, November 26, for the most comprehensive coverage of the 2009 NAB AFL Draft. We’ll have live chats, live audio streams, in-depth player profiles, club reaction and our famous afl.com.au Draft Tracker.