A broken leg suffered in Round 3 of the NAB League Boys season wasn’t going to stop Geelong Falcons midfielder Cooper Stephens from pushing his case for selection in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft.
The 18-year-old didn’t play another match this year after his leg was caught in an awkward position under the weight of a Dandenong Stingrays tackler at Queen Elizabeth Oval in April.
Luckily, 188cm Stephens had enjoyed a strong run of form late in his bottom-age 2018 season to announce himself as one of the 2019 draft pool’s top contested-ball-winners, but his lack of game time this season makes him hard to place among his peers ahead of November 27-28’s draft.
However, the Colac (AFL Barwon) product has completed a “pretty flawless rehab” of the fibula fracture and was even able to take part in physical testing at the recent NAB AFL Draft Combine.
All the while, recruiters will also have seen Stephens focusing on his off-field development, using his roles as Falcons co-captain and Vic Country vice-captain at the 2019 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships to build his football knowledge.
“You obviously have that initial period (post-injury) when you’re a bit disappointed, but I think getting into a positive mindset as soon as you can is really valuable,” Stephens said at the AFL Draft Combine, where he recorded the equal-best result in the endurance-based Yo-Yo Test.
“There was still work to be done. It wasn’t like I couldn’t do anything to influence my draft selection, so I didn’t sit there doing nothing and just dwelling on it – I was still active and involved with the groups.
“I went into a few coaches’ meetings at Vic Country and I sat on the bench with a headset on game days and relayed a few messages to the midfielders, just encouraging the boys and keeping them calm and focused.
“I had a similar role at Geelong. I was just observing and listening in to try and learn as much as I could. I think I’ve always kind of been a leader within the group and I do really like that coaching aspect of it.”
Stephens averaged 23 disposals per game for the Falcons in their final four outings of 2018, feeding off the likes of subsequent AFL draftees Sam Walsh, Ned McHenry and Oscar Brownless in Geelong’s midfield.
He won at least 22 touches in both of his completed NAB League Boys matches this year, but Stephens thinks the closing stages of last season remain the best indicator of what he’s capable of on the field.
“My game kind of came together then, both inside and outside the contest,” Stephens said.
“As much as I’m an inside player, I did also find a bit of the ball on the outside where I could use my legs and my kicking. Getting the ball out to Sam Walsh and Ned McHenry makes you look pretty good as well.
“That period definitely gave me the confidence that I was up to the level and I could play against anyone in the draft pool this year.
“The draft is a bit of an unknown for me, though; I’m not sure where I’m going to fall. I suppose at the start of the year there wasn’t much talk about me anyway, so as long as I get picked at the end of November, I’ll be very happy.”
NAB LEAGUE ‘FAST FIVE’ QUESTIONS
Most influential person on your football at Geelong:
“(2017-18 head coach) Daniel O’Keefe. He let me train with the group as a 16-year-old even though it (2017) was a premiership year and that was really cool. In my bottom-age year, he was really valuable and worked with me pretty closely.”
Most valuable lesson learned in the NAB League:
“Just how much it pays off to work really hard. I played with Sam Walsh, Ned McHenry and Oscar Brownless last year and had the chance to watch them and observe how hard they worked. Trying to jump on their coattails was awesome for me and I improved so much just by being with them.”
Teammate you’ve most enjoyed sharing the NAB League journey with:
“Jesse Clark. He’s probably the main one, having been co-captain with him this year and playing a lot of footy with him through the whole Falcons process.”
Most difficult NAB League opponent:
“Liam Stocker (ex-Sandringham Dragons, now Carlton) was the one I struggled with the most (last year), because of his body size and skills out of the stoppage. That was a really good learning day for me.”
Most memorable NAB League moment:
“It would probably be the last month of last season. Sam, Ned, Oscar and myself were playing really good football and I think the group in general really jelled together.”
