SAWTELL rising star Angus Anderson has had his first taste of footy on the biggest stage.

The 18-year-old stepped up to the bright lights and big stage of the AFL, taking the field for the Sydney Swans in their practice match against the GWS Giants in Albury last Friday night.

The former Sawtell/Toormina Saints star played in two of the last six quarters of the pre-season hit out with the Giants, playing alongside the likes of Swans superstars Lance Franklin and Luke Parker.

Community Football and Competition Manager for Northern NSW Paul Taylor has seen the rise of Anderson first hand, as both a member of the Sawtell/Toormina Saints and the Northern Heat representative program.

He highlighted that Anderson had made an impact in the limited minutes on offer in Albury.

“It was a great opportunity for Angus, he didn’t get a lot of game time but what he did he did really well,” he said.

“He ran hard, he contested well, and he certainly didn’t make any errors, which in a team that got fairly soundly beaten was a little bit of a rarity.”

Playing in a pre-season match for the Swans is the culmination of a year spent in the club’s feeder system.

Anderson has been a part of the Sydney Swans Academy since last year, which has seen him regularly travel to train in Sydney.

The young midfielder has also played for the Swans in the VFL, which is regarded as the second-best Aussie Rules competition in Australia.

The chance to impress the Swans in the recent practice match could be a lifeline for Anderson’s AFL dreams, after he failed to be picked up in last year’s AFL Draft.

The AFL prospect was the only uncontracted player of the Swans team to feature in the practice match.

Anderson could still make an AFL roster in 2022, through either this month’s Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period or the Mid-Season Draft in June.

 

By Aiden BURGESS