By Terry Wilson
TEENAGE on-baller and small forward Anthony Djurovitch wants to make his NEAFL debut with Southport, the club he played for from his under-10 days.
And if a series of good performances playing for Labrador in the QAFL are a guide, then his debut for the Sharks is not too far away.
Rookie-listed by Southport, Djurovitch is tied to Labrador, where he has played 10 games since his Tigers debut in the first round.
Another handy effort last weekend against Mt Gravatt has earned 19-year-old Djurovitch the QAFL Rising Star Award nomination for Round 14.
Which was a bit of a surprise, the youngster admitted.
“I didn’t think it was my greatest game,” he said. “I was involved, but not as much as I wanted to be.”
Djurovitch was also surprised to learn that he has now played 10 times for Labrador, although it was probably as many as he expected before the season started.
It would have been more except that a tug of the heart strings meant he was dropped by Labrador.
“I went down to Melbourne flor two weeks to see my girlfriend Grace,” Djurovitch explained.
Now it is the black V of Southport that he yearns for.
Last year with the Sharks Djurovitch was a star, winning both the QFA Colts and club best and fairest awards.
Asked what he thought of the double, Djurovitch said: “My team had a good year, so I got on the end of some good games.
“Now I want to make my NEAFL debut with Southport, that has always been my goal since my junior days.
“Am I close? I think I am. I flew to Darwin with them a couple of weeks ago I’ve been named in the emergencies a few times.
“I’d love the chance to come this year. If not I’ll be happy if it comes next year.”
An apprentice marine mechanic, Djurovitch has an interesting background, with his grandparents coming from Montenegro.
Djurovitch has been described as an in-and-under on-baller, hard over the ball and with some skills.
“I work hard on clearances from stoppages and when I went forward last year I kicked about 25 goals,” he said.
