Sharks in the AFL: Farming lad finds a way

Patrick Cripps is making a habit of exceeding expectations.

The Northampton and East Fremantle product battled injury and a potential concussion to play one of the best games of his career, helping Carlton to their fourth straight win of the season in a thrilling two-point victory over Port Adelaide on Sunday.

Late in the third term Cripps needed assistance off the ground after receiving simultaneous blows to his face and strapped knee. The Blues were already down one rotation after losing Levi Casboult early in the game, and they couldn’t afford another.

Not only did Cripps return to the field, he was instrumental as his side came back from three goals down halfway through the final term. In the post-match press conference a bemused reporter asked Carlton coach Brendon Bolton about Cripps' performance, and Bolton could only offer up one explanation.

“I think he just got a knock, but I don’t know the detail of it yet,” said Bolton of Cripps leaving the field.

“What I do know is he’s determined and we know he’s good in the contested side of the game…a farm lad will find a way, and he rolled his sleeves up.”

No challenge has been too large in Cripps' short career. After one season in the East Fremantle Colts side it took just one more year to make the transition to AFL footy. In his second AFL season Cripps was again thrown in the deep end after injuries sidelined key midfielders Chris Judd and Bryce Gibbs. The then 20-year-old emerged from the experience as the second youngest winner of the Blues' best and fairest award.

“[The injuries] weren't the best thing for the club, but it helped fast-track my development a little bit,” said Cripps while talking on the phone from Melbourne.

“I was exposed to playing against the best mids in the comp for long periods of time. I always feel when I’m on the ground I’m a natural midfielder and I can pinch hit forward, but I think I play my best footy when I’m in the midfield. It wasn’t good seeing those guys go down, but in a way it helped me as I got to play against the best mids in the comp.”

Born in Canberra but raised in Northampton, Cripps joined the East Fremantle system at 14 while boarding at Aquinas College, and he eventually moved up into the Colts side. Looking back, Cripps sees his year in the Blue & White as the most significant in the context of his development.

“When I played Colts... it was probably the year of footy that was most important as it was my draft year, and East Fremantle helped me develop a lot during that time,” said Cripps.

“[Getting drafted] was my goal but going into the season I probably wasn’t in the recruiter's eyes. I was just happy playing Colts and was trying to do the best I could. Luckily enough we had a strong team and we were winning games because we were playing good footy.

“I made the under 18s state side and went to Melbourne and went to draft camp. You do all the testing and get a lot of interviews from different clubs so it’s pretty full on. That whole year was just full on as you had to manage your time between East Freo and playing for the state -- but it was an awesome experience.”

The result of that experience was a Round 1 selection for Carlton at No. 13 in the 2013 National Draft. The test of going from WAFL Colts to AFL footy was soon to come, but the real shock came on the training track.

“[The AFL] was a huge jump really, but the biggest was going from doing normal colts training to fitting into the AFL system and doing a whole pre-season,” said Cripps.

“Pre-season is definitely the toughest part of the year, and when you go from doing three sessions a week to five or six plus weights on top of that, it felt like a big jump.”

During that time, Cripps started his transition into a big bodied midfielder. At 90kg and 193cm, Cripps has earned favourable comparisons to Wayne Carey and Nat Fyfe, amongst many others.

“I didn’t put on heaps of weight, I’ve just changed my fat percentage around and turned it into muscle,” said Cripps.

“I may have put on a couple kilos but I was always pretty heavy in the under 18s and I wasn’t the leanest bloke going around. Coming into the system it’s more just changing a few things around to get your body in the best condition possible and put on some muscle.

“My first pre-season put me in a reasonable position to play AFL that year and it definitely helped me handle the step up in the speed of the game and things like that.”

Until the Blues' recent purple patch Cripps hasn’t had many opportunities to be on the winning side of the ledger, and the 21-year-old in enjoying the rising confidence at Princes Park.

“The place is up and about at the moment. It’s been really positive,” said Cripps.

“I suppose a bit of doubt can creep into your mind when you’re not winning but the last four weeks have been unreal. The boys have gained a lot of confidence and we know that all the hard work we put in during the pre-season is starting to pay off.”

With many of his family and friends in WA, Cripps still feels a strong connection to his home state -- and the Blues have recognised that when they approved his request to arrive early in Perth before their Round 5 win over Fremantle. But there’s no doubt that Cripps has long been used to moving away and is happily settled in Melbourne, meaning fans of the WA clubs shouldn’t hold their breath for a homecoming.

“I think going to boarding school, it definitely helps as I moved away from home when I was 12 basically,” said Cripps.

“I don't get homesick -- maybe every now and then you’ll miss home, but the Melbourne lifestyle is awesome and the Carlton footy club is an awesome place to be. I count myself pretty lucky to be here.”