The final addition to Richmond’s playing group for season 2019, exciting young prospect Sydney Stack has been hailed by Western Australian football great and the state’s under-18s coach Peter Sumich as a special football talent.
Sumich coached Stack at last year’s under-18 national championships and thoroughly enjoyed watching the high level of football that the teenager produced throughout the series.
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Stack was rewarded for his efforts by being selected in the under-18 All Australian team, but failed to be picked up in the AFL national draft at the end of the year, much to Sumich’s great surprise.
Richmond subsequently used the AFL’s new Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period to secure Stack’s services with its last remaining rookie position.
In the lead-up to the 2018 national draft, Sumich provided a glowing assessment of Stack, who also performed impressively in three senior appearances for WAFL club Perth.
“I think this kid is the best of what I’ve seen in our batch of 18s talent-wise and ability to play the game at a capacity of AFL level, which is hard and fast and tough. This kid has got it all,” Sumich told ‘The West Australian’ newspaper.
“I had him in the top 10 prior to the under-18 carnival, and I still did even after that because I don’t think he was fully fit and he still played a really good role in his three games . . . I thought he played really well with a great attitude.”
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Stack will wear guernsey No. 44 in his debut season at Tigerland.
