Being on an AFL list taught Zac Foot plenty in the infancy of his professional football career.
While Foot was delisted at the end of the 2020 season by the Sydney Swans, he has since made inroads at the Casey Demons in the VFL, even with limited opportunities due to a healthy Melbourne AFL list.
“As you could imagine, it’s probably one of the highlights of my life so far & something I will always remember and cherish,” Foot told Melbourne Media.
“Blessed with the opportunity to get there and even the lifestyle in Sydney is second to none and that’s something I’ll always miss.”
Whilst Foot would love to be back on an AFL list, this year has seen his mindset shift, now focusing on the enjoyment of playing footy.
“At the start, I really wanted to get back to AFL level and there is a lot of pressure in that aspect to put on yourself to get back there,” he said.
“Now, I just worry about enjoying footy and ever since I’ve looked at it that way, I’m playing much better footy.
Foot was a latecomer to the Under 18s pathways system, first applying his trade at the Langwarrin Junior Football Club before a whirlwind experience.
“For me, it was a little bit different because I wasn’t at Stingrays as a bottom-age player,” he said.
“I trained there for the pre-season. From there to then get invited to play in the Vic Country team and we (Dandenong Stingrays) won the TAC Cup (in 2018) - that year all happened pretty quick for me.
“It probably took me a bit of time to realise the position I was in. It kind of went through really quickly then all of a sudden, I was in Sydney, so I didn’t have time to sit back and reflect.
“I was worried about making the list and worried about playing well at Vic Country then we had finals so it was pretty quick, but I had a few clubs show a bit of interest.
“Sydney was the one who showed the most interest and I was pleased to go there.”
For now, Foot has his sights on continuing his and the side’s (Casey Demons) good form and making the most of this season.
The electric forward is averaging 16.7 disposals and just under a goal per game.
“We’ve obviously had a pretty consistent year. We lost one game which was a disappointing loss, but I think the connection amongst the group is probably the biggest highlight,” he said.
“We just had Kye (Declase) who got drafted to come to the club and he said the connection here is unreal and probably something he wasn’t expecting between the two groups.
“I guess that helps us go a long way when you work together it really helps us on the ground.
“For me, all I worry about is playing my role and I guess enjoying footy as you never know what can happen so just living in the moment as it’s going to be your last.
“As a team, we have to continue to build. We had a pretty disappointing loss in round 12, however, we had a great game last week and bounced back and got that connection flowing again.”
