Connor Idun is yet to don his commissioner hat this AFL season as the much-improved GWS defender reaps the rewards of hard yards and a glass-half-full approach to hub life.
Idun is one of several inexperienced players to have helped the Giants, who face Gold Coast in Ballarat on Sunday, clamber into the top eight.
There have been several surreal moments for the 20-year-old, most notably while playing his 11th game and lining up on three-time Norm Smith medallist Dustin Martin.
“No chat at all. He’s a pretty serious customer on the field, so am I,” Idun recalled.
“It felt like 2 v 1 with their cheer squad going at me but it was a great experience, I really enjoyed it.
“I definitely pinch myself sometimes. I did watch a lot of these guys on TV, growing up.”
Idun’s breakout year comes after a summer full of cross-training and extra fitness sessions, with the backman desperate to build endurance and arrive in far better shape than the start of 2020.
Idun was largely starved of AFL opportunities last year, when Heath Shaw, Aidan Corr and others were ahead in the pecking order.
The coronavirus meant there was no formal second-tier competition to help make a case for selection.
So Idun invented the ‘Covid Cup’ competition, wanting to create meaning where there was little as he tried to keep spirits up among those not on coach Leon Cameron’s radar.
GWS development coach Luke Kelly offered a reward if the reserves went through the year undefeated; they achieved that and now many of the same players are AFL regulars.
“Away from home and family while playing 12-a-side or 11-a-side wasn’t the greatest, it’s not the ideal image of footy,” Idun said.
“That was a tough period for boys toiling in the twos.
“It was a bit of a grind at the time but, looking back, we did make the most of it and have a lot of fun.”
Idun also served as commissioner of last year’s GWS table-tennis tournament.
“Arranging the grand final was one of the better performances I’ve had,” he quipped.
“I had the anthem going, created a stadium feel. It was good fun, you needed to find those little things to keep you busy in the hub.”
The Giants remain unsure when they will return home, especially with Friday’s tightening of restrictions in Sydney.
Idun isn’t complaining.
“We’re very lucky to be in Melbourne, lockdown free and doing what we love,” he said.
“It’s a lot easier than last year. This doesn’t feel like a hub.”
AAP
Read more:
