By JARROD POTTER
Today’s Ray A Day AFL draft preview is on the only Greater Dandenong-based Stingray on the TAC Cup list and also one of the more interesting people you will ever meet. The football story of Gach Nyuon is unfolding week-to-week … where it goes will be an uncertain, but fantastic, tale to follow.
GACH NYUON
CLUB: Dandenong/Narre Warren
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 198cm/81kg
ACHIEVEMENTS: All Australian, AFL Academy, U18 National champion, Vic Country, Tac Cup Team of the Year, National Combine
PREDICTION: Pick 35-rookie list.
“I JUST learned that I had a bit more in me than I thought I had – in terms of pushing myself and being able to be tough and resilient.”
Football has been a short journey so far for Dandenong Stingrays ruckman Gach Nyuon but his development is coming on at a rapid pace.
Nyuon, 18, who lives in Keysborough, is in line to become the first Greater Dandenong resident to be drafted into the AFL since Alex Woodward in 2011.
His history has a mix of tragedy, opportunity and good fortune – having fled war-torn South Sudan with his family when he was just an infant and settling in Australia as a refugee – but what drives the elite ruck prospect is his future, not his past.
While his football history might not be as long or storied as what has happened in bygone years, Nyuon’s on-field story is one jammed full of success.
Brought into the Stingrays in 2014 on a hunch, Nyuon came to the club with ambition and hope rather than the fundamental skills carved in stone that most of his team-mates already had.
He learned bit by bit as the weeks progressed – taking on the advice of Dandenong’s midfield coaches and working his way into the game, both literally and mentally.
Early promise in 2014 – playing Vic Country and featuring in two TAC Cup clashes – was cut short by a severe knee injury that curtailed his season.
“I’ve found that I’ve developed quite well within a short period of time,” Nyuon said.
“I couldn’t have done it without all the guys here.
“Found it hard at the start, not being good at football or knowing much about it off the field, and then that (knee injury) was probably the biggest set-back I’ve had in my short footy career – was pretty tough when I did my knee, couldn’t play or do anything for six months.
“I knew coming back from that injury would be tough – getting my fitness and everything – so I just thought to be really professional in the way I went about it and do everything my strength and conditioning coaches asked.”
With his love of football commencing in 2012 at Narre North Foxes, on top of missing half a year of that time to injury, Nyuon’s growth in three short years has been phenomenal.
The moment that progression clarified and became serious – when Nyuon finally knew that football was his for the taking instead of his to coast along with – came by the end of the national championships.
“We had a couple of meetings before the last two games and they were really important,” Nyuon said.
“Really wanted to win six-in-a-row, which we ended up doing, before the last two we had the intense meeting.
“Won’t go too much into that – keep what was said in that room – but the boys were pretty switched on to win the last two games and they were probably my best games as well.”
The athletic ruckman became an All Australian, national champion and TAC Cup Team of the Year recipient in that whirlwind couple of months as well as listed in the country’s top-80 draft prospects with an invite to the AFL National Combine.
“It is a massive privilege to be represented in the All Australian squad – I worked really hard for it, I wanted to be the best ruckman in the championships and I was confident of that,” Nyuon said.
“It wasn’t more for me, but for my team first – give the mids first use and be a link-up target around the ground to help the team win.”
The 200cm high-leaping ruckman equalled the jumping records of West Coast’s Nic Naitanui at the combine and put his name in bright lights ahead of the draft.
Five AFL clubs have shown interest in Nyuon and three of those sides showed their hand even further having interviewed Nyuon on multiple occasions.
“I’m confident – a bit nervous at the same time, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” he said.
“I think I’ve had a pretty consistent season – not the season I would’ve liked, but I’m pretty happy with it to be honest – didn’t play as well as I would’ve liked for the Stingrays at the start, but the second half of the TAC Cup season was pretty good as well.”
Dandenong Stingrays coach Craig Black has been one of Nyuon’s biggest supporters and helped the fledgling ruckman make the step up through the TAC Cup ranks and to the verge of a league football career.
“New to the game and his improvement from a 17 year old to an 18 year old can’t be underestimated,” Black said.
“When the big G man realised what he had to do with his training output, his consistency in games went up when his work ethic improved.
“He’s still got to understand the demands of AFL footy but that’s the good thing about having a young kid develop – they’re always learning and we hope he gets an opportunity to go and show his traits in the AFL.
“His ability to start understanding the game later in the season flourished as well and as long as he gets an opportunity I’m sure he’ll grab it with both hands.”
