The hype that has surrounded boom rookie Jack Martin has been far from the norm for a first-year AFL player.
The quietly-spoken teenager, plucked from WA’s small coastal town of Geraldton, looms as one of the hottest young prospects in the game.
His rise to football’s biggest stage began almost two years ago now, following a near-perfect performance at the Under 18 carnival.
In attendance were all of the AFL’s leading recruiters, including GC SUNS List & Strategy Manager, Scott Clayton, who saw more than enough to suggest the then 16-year-old Martin was a future star-in-waiting.
He exchanged the club’s first selection at the national draft (the No. 2 overall pick) to secure the young midfielder, before inking him to an unprecedented five-year contract.
To add further fuel to the burning build-up, AFL great and SUNS coaching advisor Malcolm Blight described his highlights tape as the best in a generation, while former Lions champion Simon Black labelled him the complete package after playing on Martin in a NEAFL match last season.
Albeit the exciting youngster is more than capable of handling the pressure that has been mounted on his shoulders, the incredible interest surrounding his every move, fans couldn’t fault Martin for wanting to quietly make his long-awaited return to senior football against Geelong on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said.
“I got the news yesterday and I’m extremely confident in the work that I’ve done.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there with the boys.”
Martin has trained strongly with the senior group for the past three weeks, and is convinced the additional conditioning sessions he has completed alongside rehab coach Paul Haines will give him every opportunity to make a seamless transition back to the elite level.
He followed a similar conditioning program to that of Zac Smith, and has gained confidence from the ruckman’s successful return to the senior team.
“We pretty much did the same sort of program coming back from injury, so it gives me a lot of confidence,” Martin said.
“Zac went out and played some good footy and I think I’ve done a lot of conditioning the last couple of weeks…
“So I’m just looking forward to the opportunity and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
