By Nick Creely
St Kilda draftee and former Dandenong Stingray Oscar Clavarino has only been an AFL player for a few weeks, but is already relishing the challenge of bumping shoulders with the big names in the game.
The tall defender – drafted with pick 35 by the Saints in November’s draft – is one of five new players at the club, and can’t speak highly enough of how the coaches, players and administrative staff have welcomed him to the elite level.
“It’s been awesome, and been a pretty surreal experience so far, and it’s now starting to become real, I guess,” he said.
“I still get that feeling of surrealism, but running around with guys like Josh Bruce, Seb Ross and Jack Newnes – guys you see so often on the TV – is really exciting.”
With the Saints well and truly in the hunt for a finals spot in 2018, Clavarino understands there is pressure, but said it’s not coming from inside the four walls.
“It’s probably a time where the club will get a bit of pressure externally from the media, but inside the club there’s not that feeling at all, it’s more excitement,” he said.
“Guys like (Nick) Riewoldt and (Leigh) Montagna would have been great for the club this year because they have been there for so long, but without them it’s just a different feeling of youth and talent, and it’s exciting.
“I haven’t been there for that long, but from all reports, the club is in a really good space with how the boys are feeling on and off the field.
“We’re all looking forward to what’s to come for the club.”
And while Clavarino looks to learn his defensive craft from senior players such as Jake Carlisle, Nathan Brown and Sam Gilbert, he has leant on some of the club’s emerging talent, such as the defender with a famous name at the club.
“There is a still a bit of a pecking order, and I’ve sort of hung on to guys like Hugh Goddard, who is still a young player and gone through the same kind of thing – I’ve really gone to people like him for advice, or to ask a question,” he said.
“He’s probably someone that’s consistently helped me so far.”
While Clavarino settles into his life as a Saint, the draft is likely to be a night he never forgets.
“I’ve said this to a few people, I’d heard West Coast were very keen on me, they liked me a fair bit, and they had four picks in the range I thought I might go,” he said.
“I sort of got my head around the possibility of moving there, so I went into the night just excited as to where I might go.
“When St Kilda called my name out, it was almost a sense of relief, but an overwhelming feeling of excitement – I can’t really explain how I felt, and I burst into tears with pure joy, and to have the family around me was incredible.
“It was a nervous time coming into it (the draft), not knowing where I’d be and where I’d go – to come to St Kilda, where mum’s been a supporter for so long, it’s probably the perfect situation to be honest.”
And it’s all about respect and hard work, as Clavarino looks to make a name for himself at the club.
“To be honest, I haven’t looked too far ahead to next year, I’ve just been working on getting into the club first, and earning the respect of the players I hope to be playing with for a very long time,” he said.
“I’m incredibly lucky.”
