By RUSSELL BENNETT
A CONVERSATION with former Collingwood premiership skipper Nick Maxwell has helped to spark Pakenham teenager Jai Rout on his footy journey.
Rout, a lifelong Pies fan, had a nervous introduction to one of his childhood idols but the advice he received about leadership, maturity and being able to stand up when it matters has sparked him in a particularly strong month of TAC Cup football with the Gippsland Power.
The 18-year-old who now calls Cora Lynn his home club was dropped early this season at the Power but instead of letting the disappointment weigh him down, he returned to the Cobras and worked on the things he needed to win back his place in the side under Maxwell’s former premiership-winning Pies team mate Leigh Brown.
Rout credits the likes of Cobras coach David Main, gun midfielder Ricky Clark, and forward pair Anthony Giuliano and Ryan Gillis with helping boost his football development – in everything from mindset to forward pressure to displaying elite footskills in key stages of games.
And since re-entering the Power’s TAC Cup side in early June against the North Ballarat Rebels, Rout has been in the best every week – including a five-goal haul against the Western Jets at Morwell recently.
“The first half of my season wasn’t that great – they told me to go back and work on my pressure and tackling,” Rout said.
“I went back to Cora Lynn and worked really hard for four weeks and won my opportunity back.”
That happened in no small part due to the encouragement and coaching from Main who helped him work on the exact areas of his game he needed to lift.
Now things like defensive pressure inside forward 50 are becoming strengths.
Rout models his style of game on someone like a Cyril Rioli, who doesn’t need a huge amount of possession to have an impact.
That describes Rout perfectly. Against the Jets he kicked his five goals from just 11 kicks.
“I want to make a career out of footy, but if I don’t I want to work my way into a VFL side and play as high a standard as possible,” Rout said of his game moving forward.
For now, he’s trying everything possible to improve his game at the Power, and his new home club Cora Lynn has embraced him with open arms.
Now that he’s got that spark, look out any small defender who tries to stop him.
