Sandringham Dragons key-position player Josh Worrell has been through several changes in mindset during his relatively quick emergence as a 2019 NAB AFL Draft prospect.
While the 18-year-old didn’t make Sandringham’s under-16 squad in 2017, he’d soon turned himself into one of the most highly rated bottom-agers in the NAB League by the end of 2018.
In 11 games for the Dragons last season, 193cm Worrell displayed the versatility to play on a range of opponents in defence as well as a strong ability to read the play and intercept the ball in the air.
The East Brighton Vampires and Bentleigh (South Metro JFL) product couldn’t help but hear the resultant chatter about his standing in the scheme of November 27-28’s AFL Draft and found it affecting his form on the field early in 2019.
* Visit the ‘Highlights’ section of the NAB League app to watch Josh Worrell’s 2019 season highlights.
He needed to shift his mindset again, resetting his approach to football just prior to representing Vic Metro at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships in June and July.
“I came out of nowhere as a 17-year-old and it’s all been a bit of a whirlwind since,” Worrell said at the recent NAB AFL Draft Combine.
“I didn’t make the under-16 Dragons squad and I think that taught me a lot, just in terms of how it wasn’t going to come naturally and that even if you’re talented, you have to do the hard work.
“I worked hard as a bottom-ager and got my name up there, but at the start of this year I kind of got overwhelmed and all caught up in it. I think it cost me a few good games, but I was a bit more relaxed towards the back-end of the season and played some good football.
“Earlier on, I was always trying to do something spectacular that everyone would remember instead of going back to basics and doing the small things right. I realised it wasn’t working, so I just went back to what I knew and did well and I managed to hit the Championships in some form.”
On the national stage, Worrell had to adapt once more. After Metro’s opening loss to Vic Country – when he “didn’t play too well” – the usual defender was thrown forward against Western Australia and produced a four-goal haul in defeat.
He followed that up with three majors in a victory over South Australia to further illustrate his versatility, but Worrell’s up-and-down journey continued shortly after the Under-18 Championships when a dislocated shoulder ended his season after only four NAB League games. Now, he just wants his junior career to finish on another high.
“You get told the Championships is the best place to show off your skills and that’s where I did it,” Worrell said.
“Having to play forward caught me off-guard, but it just came down to being competitive. I’ve taken that mindset through my whole career, and I think if you’re competitive then you’re going to win the ball most times. I didn’t find it any different up forward.
“I did struggle a bit in the Allies game (in the final round) and saw the other side of playing forward and how hard it can be, but I think I achieved my goal of playing well at the Championships.
“I don’t care where my name gets read out now; I just want to be on an AFL club list at the end of the year.”
NAB LEAGUE ‘FAST FIVE’ QUESTIONS
Most influential person on your football at Sandringham:
“(Head coach) Josh Bourke has had a good influence on me this year. We have a sort of love/hate relationship where we sometimes butt heads, but he also likes wrapping me up in a cuddle here and there.”
Most valuable lesson learned in the NAB League:
“That hard work gets you where you want to go and talent isn’t everything.”
Teammate you’ve most enjoyed sharing the NAB League journey with:
“Bill Mackay or Hugo Ralphsmith, who are two of my close mates. I love playing with them, especially Bill with how tough he is. I think Hugo will get picked up at the draft. He’s a talented footballer who deserves a chance.”
Most difficult NAB League opponent:
“Dylan Williams (Oakleigh Chargers) gave me a fair workout a few times last year, with his ability one-on-one as well as in the air. He’s hard to deal with.”
Most memorable NAB League moment:
“Probably the first three rounds of this season when we dominated some opponents (wins against Calder by 109 points, Northern by 43 points and Oakleigh by 10 points). It felt so good playing at such an elite level with such an elite team. I’ll never forget how well it was working for us.”
