Young ‘Giggs’ a gun

EMERGING young ruckman Vergim Faik has grabbed the opportunity presented by Doveton Football Club’s 2010 youth policy and earned the season’s second nomination for the Gazette Casey Cardinia League Young Gun award.
The almost 200cm 18-year-old has made a huge impact in the first four games this year and coach Mark Ladgrove said he would be surprised if he does not progress to a higher level in the future.
Faik, whose parents are Albanian, is in his second season with the Doves after transferring from Noble Park juniors at the start of 2009.
Nicknamed ‘Giggs’, he started his football in the DDJFL with the Dandenong Saints in the under-12s before moving to play under-15s and under -16s at Noble Park.
“When I was in the under -13s, I wasn’t as big and I played more at full forward. Then when I went to Noble Park, I started to grow and played in the ruck and have been a ruckman ever since,” he said.
After spending 2008 as a bottom aged player on the Dandenong Stingrays list, Faik transferred to play with mates in the under -18s at the Robinson Reserve last season, making the senior side on several occasions.
He cited his father Sam and older brother Vlaz, also a former Stingray, as the biggest influences on his career, and said he watched a couple of AFL players for tips on how to play ruck in the modern game.
“Dad used to take me to every game my brother played at the Stingrays and used to tell me where to run and to watch how Vlaz played,” he said.
“I look up to David Hille from Essendon and also Nic Natanui. I like the way they play the game.”
Faik said he was enjoying the challenge of playing against the Casey Cardinia League’s best big men and hoped to improve to the extent he could progress to a higher level.
“I’d like to get as far as I can and if I ever got the chance for VFL or even AFL, I’d give it my best. I’m enjoying playing at Doveton at the moment though,” he said.