Kate Withers
FOOTBALL
At just 16, Traralgon resident Chance Doultree has already achieved more in sport than most could hope to achieve in a lifetime.
He has earned national representation honours for swimming, state representation for athletics and basketball and last week returned from a stint on the most prestigious stage in junior football – the AFL Under 16 Championships.
Chance’s selection in the Victoria Country week’s trip to the Gabba for the final round of the championships was the cherry on top of an admittedly “great year” of footy as a back-flanker/inside midfielder.
The big stage didn’t faze him and if his performance in that game is anything to go by then even brighter things are on the horizon.
“I think I played really well at the Gabba and getting to look up into the big stands there was awesome,” Chance said.
“Getting to play against the best of the best, you’re always up against players that are on your level or even better than you.
“The trip was really good, it was good to be in a professional environment with everyone there and the coaches there 24/7 … having player meetings every day, recovery after every game, the medical staff and all that kind of stuff.”
The Gippsland Grammar student was one of four Gippsland Power players to represent Vic Country throughout the championships along with teammates Sage Tapner, Tom Fitzpatrick and Zac Reid.
“It was great having [people] there you know, especially for the first few months where you don’t know many other people. You just lean on them and create friendship groups from there,” Chance said.
“Playing through [Gippsland] Power and being able to play really well through there and being lucky enough selected for Vic Country … this year has been great.”
However, mum Fiona said Chance’s selection in the Vic Country side was no stroke of luck.
“He’s always been a front-runner. He’s so competitive with everything he does and you just can’t slow him down,” she said.
While Chance still swims regularly to help with his fitness for football, Fiona said he had made a carefully-considered decision to “stop trying to do it all”.
“I think what’s been the biggest thing for me is his maturity. He was doing too much with his sport the year before last [so] he spent a lot of that time injured,” she said.
“But seeing him making his own decisions to cut down on other sports so he could look after himself has been the most noticeable thing for me.”
