Player Watch #44 Sydney Stack

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AFL draft 2018: Sydney Stack finds peace in footy’s rough and tumble
For Sydney Stack, football has been an escape.
To watch Stack play is to see a fearless contested bull but the 18-year-old says the football field is actually a place where he feels at peace.
On talent, Stack would be one of the first West Australians taken in the national draft, which will be staged over Thursday and Friday.
But the Perth midfielder has taken some time to come to grips with the off-field demands ultimately required to join the AFL.
“It’s more like off-field and what your character is like and what you are willing to do to develop as a person and player,” Stack said.
“Footy is like kind of an escape for me. I grew up moving a lot and grew up around violence ... and never really had stability, so I just find footy as just a way out, to get out of trouble and things like that.
“I just really find my peace there, on the footy field. Just that physical side, I really take my anger out at footy sometimes and it just helps me, to release stress and stuff.”
Stack was left out of WA’s first under-18 championship game for disciplinary reasons before returning and earning All-Australian honours as one of the best performers in the carnival.
“Missing that first game was disappointing for me but I just took it on the chin and bounced back and went and played WAFL colts and had a career high of 33 disposals — and after the State champs, I just played as well as I could during the championship and then came back and strived to play league (at Perth) and had three games.
“I just have a lot of family issues and stuff like that. I just really focused on myself and putting my best foot forward this year.
“A lot of credit to my manager Paul Peos. He helped me on the mental side of things and got my head screwed on and just focused day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out. Not thinking too far ahead.”
Stack lived with Peos at the start of the year but ended up spending the rest of the year staying with former Western Bulldogs player Brennan Stack, who has also helped him off the field. Brennan and Sydney’s great grandfathers were brothers.
Stack is also a cousin of fellow WA prospect Ian ‘Bobby’ Hill.
The 179cm midfielder played a lot of sports growing up but found football was where he was most at home and has benefited from playing against bigger bodies most of his life.
Stack is nervous and trying to keep busy as he waits to see if he’ll get his chance.
He is close with his four sisters, but would love the chance to move interstate.
“Just a whole new start and just to get away from everything and live my life,” he said.
The kids had it pretty rough, hope he makes it on our list
 
Bojangles17 said:
No, new rookie rules mean a player that nominated for draft or previously listed can be signed up to March like Weller is going to be. We left 2 spots open for a reason
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Excuse my ignorance bo, but if we select both stack and weller does that mean we dont have a mid seaon pick????
And is weller officialy on our list yet ?
Thanks
 
guruisatiger said:
Excuse my ignorance bo, but if we select both stack and weller does that mean we dont have a mid seaon pick????
And is weller officialy on our list yet ?
Thanks
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We can't add Weller until December 1st.
 
Stan Judkins said:
AFL draft 2018: Sydney Stack finds peace in footy’s rough and tumble
For Sydney Stack, football has been an escape.
To watch Stack play is to see a fearless contested bull but the 18-year-old says the football field is actually a place where he feels at peace.
On talent, Stack would be one of the first West Australians taken in the national draft, which will be staged over Thursday and Friday.
But the Perth midfielder has taken some time to come to grips with the off-field demands ultimately required to join the AFL.
“It’s more like off-field and what your character is like and what you are willing to do to develop as a person and player,” Stack said.
“Footy is like kind of an escape for me. I grew up moving a lot and grew up around violence ... and never really had stability, so I just find footy as just a way out, to get out of trouble and things like that.
“I just really find my peace there, on the footy field. Just that physical side, I really take my anger out at footy sometimes and it just helps me, to release stress and stuff.”
Stack was left out of WA’s first under-18 championship game for disciplinary reasons before returning and earning All-Australian honours as one of the best performers in the carnival.
“Missing that first game was disappointing for me but I just took it on the chin and bounced back and went and played WAFL colts and had a career high of 33 disposals — and after the State champs, I just played as well as I could during the championship and then came back and strived to play league (at Perth) and had three games.
“I just have a lot of family issues and stuff like that. I just really focused on myself and putting my best foot forward this year.
“A lot of credit to my manager Paul Peos. He helped me on the mental side of things and got my head screwed on and just focused day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out. Not thinking too far ahead.”
Stack lived with Peos at the start of the year but ended up spending the rest of the year staying with former Western Bulldogs player Brennan Stack, who has also helped him off the field. Brennan and Sydney’s great grandfathers were brothers.
Stack is also a cousin of fellow WA prospect Ian ‘Bobby’ Hill.
The 179cm midfielder played a lot of sports growing up but found football was where he was most at home and has benefited from playing against bigger bodies most of his life.
Stack is nervous and trying to keep busy as he waits to see if he’ll get his chance.
He is close with his four sisters, but would love the chance to move interstate.
“Just a whole new start and just to get away from everything and live my life,” he said.
The kids had it pretty rough, hope he makes it on our list
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Feel for the kid , perhaps if he can settle into a steady environment he could really thrive , we re much better placed than ever before with respected senior indigenous players in sheds and Xav Clarke , hope it works out
 
WOW !! This young man just looks an amazing prospect......I hope he comes across and gets his life back on track, as a priority to footy. If he can do both Great!! Some distance and support could help, all the very best to Sydney....
 

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Looking at the graph, we have so many players coming out of contract at the end of 2019.
Twenty-one regular players.
They had better be ruthless to offload the deadwood because several players are worthy of pay rises.
Opposition teams would be insane not to try and recruit them.
 
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Sounds like his head is screwed on - get out of WA to get away from his life.

But wow! His upbringing sounds awful. Many people cannot escape that. Hopefully we can get him on the right track. We have a good culture and support systems.

For me
1) Stack get's his life on track and moves forward to a better world
2) we get a good player for nix.
 
mad_tiggy911 said:
Saw highlights and all I saw was turn overs and him being rag dolled all the time.
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Eating Apple Turnovers with cream while holding a rageddy-ann will do that to a guy!
 
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Dr Tigris said:
Sounds like his head is screwed on - get out of WA to get away from his life.

But wow! His upbringing sounds awful. Many people cannot escape that. Hopefully we can get him on the right track. We have a good culture and support systems.

For me
1) Stack get's his life on track and moves forward to a better world
2) we get a good player for nix.
Click to expand...

Will be a worthwhile enterprise even if only the first of your points eventuates...god I love our club.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
NZ_Tiger said:
Reminds me of Dayle Garlett for all of the reasons.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Hope not all...he’s still in jail I think, I remeber something about him getting busted for stealing a pair of pants to wear to court that day.
He blew up on drugs that kid.
 
Cdog71 said:
Hope not all...he’s still in jail I think, I remeber something about him getting busted for stealing a pair of pants to wear to court that day.
He blew up on drugs that kid.
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Yep. Great kid In person too I read. He was looking like a pick 6 before the draft and didn’t even get rookied, surely the AFL must have warned all the clubs off him which makes me wonder about Stack not getting even a rookie shot either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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