QUIET achieving Traralgon forward Jordan Symons accumulated another football accolade last month when he represented the Victoria Country under 19s for the second consecutive season.
The side suffered a narrow four-point loss to the Victorian Amateur Football Assocation at Junction Oval, St Kilda in a one-off showcase of the state’s premier teenage talent.
As one of just two Gippsland players selected from the initial squad of 54, along with Leongatha’s Dylan Westaway, Symons said he felt he was representing his region as well as his state on the big stage.
“It was a good experience again, you get to meet a lot more new blokes from around the country and it’s just a better experience playing against the best under 19s in Victoria,” Symons said.
“It’s always an ambition to play Vic Country, it’s a great achievement.”
The 19 year-old sustained a debilitating wrist injury in the first quarter of the contest but soldiered on to kick a couple of points in a wayward Vic Country attack, which racked up 21 behinds for the match.
Having witnessed a Vic Country teammate get drafted to Fremantle in 2012, Symons said there was an underlying ambition to transcend the state team into the Australian Football League ranks.
“There’s always the dream of playing AFL but it’s a lot of hard work,” he said.
“For future people coming up (to Vic Country) try your hardest… there’s a lot of pathways playing Vic Country.”
Symons graduated to the senior ranks at Traralgon Football Club as a 16 year-old, and has since tallied a half century of appearances in the senior side.
“I’ve played over 50 games for Traralgon so I’d like to play at least 100, that would be a good achievement for me (being) only 19,” he said.
“When I started I was a scrawny little kid, I feel a lot stronger and more confident playing against the bigger bodies (now).
“I’ve had a few injuries and struggled to find a bit of form, but we’re doing well at the moment at Traralgon, we had a slow start to the year but we’ve come back strong. Finishing top three would be good.”
Currently focused on club commitments, Symons said he would consider trialling for the Vic 1 open side next season.
