By RUSSELL BENNETT
“ARE you ready?”
Those are the three magic words that any aspiring TAC Cup player would dream of hearing.
And last Wednesday night after Gippsland Power training in Morwell, Kooweerup youngster Nathan Voss heard them straight from the mouth of coach – and former Collingwood premiership-winning big man – Leigh Brown.
His answer was simple – an excited, yet unfazed “Yeah, definitely”.
He couldn’t wait to debut on Saturday at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh against the hometown Chargers.
Voss is the youngest player on the Power’s TAC Cup list at just 16. He doesn’t even turn 17 until September, so it would be easy for him to be overawed by the occasion.
But that’s not his style.
He has copped plenty of ribbing along the way, like from assistant coach Scott McDougal – who’s told him in no uncertain terms to get a haircut.
But Voss, with questionable hairstyle and all, is treasuring every moment.
This year’s Power side has a wealth of top-age talent – including Bunyip’s Tom Papley and Pakenham’s Matt de Bruin – so Voss knows he has to bide his time.
But he’s just excited to be involved, right there in the thick of it.
“It’s just great to get a feel of what it’s like to play at a higher level,” he said, after the Power – which was missing a number of key players – went down by just three points to the Chargers 8.17 (65) to 9.8 (62).
Voss has trained all year with the group, and said the message from the coaching staff was a simple one.
“They don’t put a lot of pressure on you,” he said.
“They just tell you to relax and play footy.”
Voss said he’d learned plenty about on-field structure, adding that Brown is a great confidence-boosting coach.
The young Demon has been in the Power set up since the under-15s but by his own admission he’s never felt as comfortable in amongst it as he does right now.
“All the top-age boys have just been really welcoming,” he said.
“They’re just so respectful and happy to be around us bottom-agers.
“They really do make us feel a part of it.”
Voss has found himself naturally gravitating towards the likes of Pakenham pair Jai Rout and de Bruin, and Todd Beck – who drives him to training.
But Voss was quick to add that: “The Sale boys have been just as good”.
As for players he looks up to both on and off-field, Voss said Christian Buykx-Smith was one who really set the standard, while Josh Dunkley – the highly-touted son of former Sydney Swan Andrew – “is very mature and really professional in how he goes about it”.
Sam Skinner is another who’s left a real impact on Voss, with the fleet-footed Kooweerup youngster saying: “It’s just Sam’s happiness, really. He loves to talk, sing, you name it. He’s just great to be around”.
Voss’ confidence to back his own ability in areas such as his decision-making and skill execution – like the all-important chip kick to a target inside 50 – has really improved throughout his 2015 campaign.
Playing off a wing and across half-forward, he’s listed at 187 centimetres but just 69 kilograms – one of the lightest on the list.
Voss knows the work he needs to put in to build up his frame, but on a week-to-week basis it’s all about playing his role for the team.
“I was given three goals for the weekend – lay three tackles, and get three handball receives and three inside 50s,” he said.
Part of his improvement will come from sheer time spent in the gym, but Voss also plans on regaining one of his strengths as a long-distance runner. He’s already got the composure to go along with that increased endurance, and he credits the senior experience he already has at Kooweerup in the EDFL – 10 senior games so far after debuting at just 15-years-old – with helping him to adjust to the increased speed of the TAC Cup.
He’d love to play a second, or even third, consecutive game at the level this season, but Voss knows this year in the country’s premier under-18 competition is about getting a taste of what’s to come.
If what he’s shown at the age of just 16 is any indication, his future in the game is incredibly bright.
