PORT Macquarie Aussie rules star Tom Dickson took another step towards a career in the sport’s elite when he played reserve grade for the Sydney Swans on the weekend in the North Eastern Australian Football League.
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Dickson was a part of the Swans’ 9.13 (67) to 7.5 (47) at Blacktown International Sportspark on Saturday.
He was still reflecting on how special the day was for him when he spoke to the Port News yesterday.
As if playing almost three quarters of the game wasn’t enough, Dickson also got to rub shoulders with some of his heroes in Ryan O’Keefe and Mike Pike.
Dickson cherished the time spent with that pair off the field, rather than on it.
“You don’t really notice it as much [on the field],” he said. “It was mainly before and after the game.”
Dickson got the call-up to play last Thursday. The good news came via his father Trevor.
“Dad called me,” he said. “I was pretty stoked. I couldn’t believe it.
“They don’t just pick anyone to play in these games.”
He played in the forward pocket on Saturday. Dickson had a couple of chances to score, but the pressure was on. He missed both attempts.
“I was under pressure,” he said.
The match makes travelling to and from Sydney every weekend worthwhile for Dickson. He plays for the University of NSW under 19s team in the Sydney League.
Dickson heads down with Kirk Lower every weekend. The team is playing some good footy at the moment.
“We’re at the top of the table,” Dickson said.
His dream is to one day make the draft and then play in the top league, but that is still a fair way off for Dickson. In the meantime, he’ll continue to train with the Port Macquarie Magpies under 18s team twice a week in pursuit of a professional career.
