This was published 9 years ago
Jack Steele gets head start at GWS Giants pre-season
Greater Western Sydney recruit Jack Steele sees his early start to pre-season as the perfect opportunity to put his best foot forward and put himself ahead of the Giants' other 2014 draftees.
As a Giants Academy selection, Steele knew his fate last month and didn't have to wait until the AFL draft on November 27 to find out if he was joining an AFL list.
Jack Steele has used his extra time on the track to impress coach Leon Cameron.
He knows he'll get taken at pick 24 and started pre-season on Wednesday – about a month before the future draftees begin.
Steele was planning to use the extra time on the track as a chance to impress GWS coach Leon Cameron.
Jack Steele competes with Tomas Bugg during Giants' pre-season training.
"The boys are really good, they all sort of get around me and that so I'm really comfortable and really settled in nicely," Steele told Fairfax Media on Friday.
"I suppose it's good that I'm getting that advantage on the other boys who are going to come in later in about a month's time at the start of December.
"I can put my best foot forward."
It didn't take Steele long to do exactly that – finishing ninth in the three-kilometre time trial on his first day.
The 18-year-old said there was no pressure put on him to achieve any particular time, which allowed him to just go out and run.
While he said he was "buggered" on Friday, he expected training to step up a notch over the next few weeks as the pre-season gets into full swing.
Apart from the time trial, the focus has mainly been on flexibility and weights testing to help develop a strength and conditioning program.
He's quickly got to know the boys, with fellow midfielders Steve Coniglio, Devon Smith and Toby Greene especially helpful so far.
Steele joked he hoped some of Greene's mongrel would rub off.
As an onballer who can kick a goal, the former Belconnen Magpie has a similar game to Smith, making him an ideal mentor for the young Canberran.
Steele said he hadn't set any goals for next year, although he admitted he'd love to make his AFL debut.
He'll sit down with Cameron in the next few weeks and find out what's realistic.
With the AFL draw released about a week ago, Steele took notice of the three home-and-away games the Giants play at Manuka Oval next year, which includes an Anzac Day clash and a game against competition powerhouse Geelong.
"I'm still not sure what I want to achieve, I want to know what's realistic first," he said.
"If the coaches tell me what they'd like to see, then I can start setting some goals ... obviously it'd be good to play a game, but I'm not too sure yet.
"If they do debut me I'd like it to be in front of my home crowd in Canberra, but I'm seriously not worried at the moment, just got to worry about getting through the pre-season at the moment."
While Steele didn't have to wait until November 27 to get drafted, his good mate and former Belconnen teammate Logan Austin is yet to find out his fate.
They've already chatted about what to expect at training if Logan has his name called out.
"I was talking to Loges last night, and [fellow NSW-ACT Ram] Mick Mattingly, and they're both pretty nervous about it all," Steele said.
"I think they'd both like to join me up here at the Giants, just because me and [Jeremy Finlayson] are already here and they know us.