When Peter Wright landed at the Gold Coast SUNS in late November, the message was clear and concise: Rodney Eade and the football department would not be rushing their prodigious talent. Instead, the prized draftee would be given sufficient time to develop in the reserves and adapt to life as an elite athlete.
Whilst the season hasn’t unravelled the way anyone inside Metricon Stadium would have envisaged, Gold Coast has remained true to their word. The club defied temptation early in the season, and waited until Wright had put together a body of work in the NEAFL.
For any high draft pick, their football journey is typically littered with individual accolades and an array of representative selections. Taken at pick No. 8 in last year’s national draft, Wright’s pathway was no different. He has been waiting to be injected into the fray for a long time now. Finally, his turn has arrived.
“Obviously it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I guess its something that I’ve always wanted to do and it’s become more of a goal over the last couple of years. It has sort of felt like a long time coming, but I’m just really happy with the call up and get the opportunity now,” Wright told SUNS TV on Thursday afternoon.
“I think it’s been really beneficial actually to spend a bit of time in the NEAFL. Obviously first time playing against men so that was another step to take, something to get used to. So I think I’ve definitely learned a lot, developed my game really well in the twos.”
VIDEO: See the moment Rocket delivered the news to Peter Wright
As the second key position player taken in the 2014 draft crop behind St Kilda’s Patrick McCartin (pick No. 1), Wright will forever be measured against other key forwards of his era. Along with the Saints' great white hope, Wright will also be measured against Melbourne’s Jesse Hogan and the Western Bulldogs Tom Boyd.
But with the Calder Cannons product more than 2000km away from Melbourne’s football fishbowl, Wright is afforded the luxury of going about his business with minimal fuss or outside noise. A fact not lost on the 18-year-old.
“It's really good to be up here I think, just living in your own little bubble. You can listen to the people around you, there’s not a lot of media talk about it,” Wright said.
“So its really good to live in your own little bubble and just talk to the coaches and the players and do what’s expected of you here and just try and please the people whose opinions matter.”
Wright doesn’t need to look far for a quality role model at the club, with his mentor and fellow key forward, Tom Lynch, providing guidance and direction every step of the way. Lynch has been in Wright’s shoes before. He’s walked the same path.
Inside the four walls of Metricon Stadium, Lynch’s appetite for work and attention for detail is revered. The pair has worked closely since Wright arrived at the tail end of last year, and the boy from Melbourne’s inner west revealed that Lynch has left his mark.
“He’s been really good for me. Obviously a benchmark at the club with his training standards and his work rate on the track is second to none really as well as out on the field,” Wright said.
“He’s been someone who I’ve tried to learn a lot off and just watching the way he goes about it is something that’s really beneficial in itself.
“I’ve done a bit of work with him as well just watching vision, going through tapes, he knows the game really well, he’s a really good teacher and someone I’m learning a lot off.”
