By JARROD POTTER
JOSH Battle received his first taste of life as a professional athlete… and is hungry for more.
The Berwick 17-year-old has gone at break-neck speed this off season as he looks towards the big leagues.
His selection in the AFL Academy first allowed him to play against the Australian Allies on Grand Final day at the MCG before he was whisked away to join St Kilda’s training group for nearly three weeks of intense pre-season training.
Handpicked as one of a handful of top AFL draft prospects to head over to the elite IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Battle got put through the ringer to see where his skills and athleticism stacked up.
While he went through the hard yards during this pre-season period, Battle thinks he’s all the better for the experience and is ready for another big crack at the TAC Cup.
“Definitely came away from that a little bit fitter and a bit wiser,” Battle said.
“I’ve learned a lot about me as a person over there and just what it takes to live as a professional athlete in that environment.
“Sando (Brenton Sanderson) said in one of his meetings ‘you’ll realise how bad you do want it or you don’t want it’ after club week and America.
“It’s definitely something that I want.”
It felt a bit strange for Battle to run alongside men he’d looked up to for years such as David Armitage and Nick Riewoldt… but he had a couple of familiar Dandenong faces in Brandon White and Bailey Rice to walk him through the process.
“With all the running and that we were doing… my second week I did most of the training and that was unreal,” Battle said.
“Training with the likes of Armitage and all that, I guess looking up to them as a youngster it was weird running around with him, that’s for sure.
“Was only (Rice and White’s) third training session – so we were all going in there pretty nervous and they went on a leadership camp so I didn’t spend much time with them but it was super.”
His time in Florida taught him how to stay at the professional level for longer and to keep pushing himself to the next level.
“Flew off for the states and that was a pretty surreal experience in America,” Battle said.
“I guess what it takes to be a professional athlete, because being in that environment, surrounded by all these terrific athletes, just implementing that and living like one of them, which was good.”
He returned to the Stingrays’ training track this week and his hopes for the season have been set high – but that’s what it will take to get a ticket into the AFL.
Battle will have to balance schoolwork with playing commitments for Haileybury College, Dandenong Stingrays and likely Vic Country in a frenetic year for the 190cm utility.
After a strong start to 2016, Battle wants to keep the good news flowing as he aims to move into the midfield and add another string to his bow – making him that much more enticing as a draft prospect.
“Just want a good strong pre-season, finish that off well and, hopefully, have a consistent year at the Stingrays and we’ll hopefully be up there again,” Battle said.
“Definitely this year I’d like to get into the midfield as I think my endurance is probably one of my strengths, so if I can take that into the midfield that would be really good.
“Been doing a bit of stoppage work at the Stingrays on the first night back.”
Battle’s Stingrays had their first pre-season skirmish on Sunday morning in an intra-club match at Frankston.
