Suns gun recruit moves like Jaeger

RISING STAR: New AFL sensation Jaeger O'Meara cools off at the end of training at Kurrawa beach. Picture: Glenn Hampson Source: PerthNow

HE'S got the rock-star name and the game to match.

Recruiters call him the next Chris Judd and say he can virtually play anywhere and do anything.

And 103 days before the WA teenager makes a likely Round 1 debut for Gold Coast against St Kilda, he's already been installed as the favourite for next year's NAB Rising Star Award.

The excitement has been building around Jaeger O'Meara since he kicked four goals in a classy WAFL debut for Perth in August 2011.

For a youngster surrounded by hype, he either does a brilliant impersonation of someone who hasn't been affected or he's not affected one bit.

With fate sending him to the Gold Coast a year earlier than draft age via the 17-year-old mini-draft, O'Meara could hardly be better prepared for his debut season.

He's spent the past 12 months getting his body and mind ready for his AFL entrance in the relative anonymity of Queensland, something O'Meara sees as a blessing.

"I like to stay pretty low-key, so it definitely suits me being on the Gold Coast. It's a lot more relaxed," he said.

"They say time flies when you're having fun, so I'm definitely having a lot of fun.''

The "next Judd" tag has been thrown at O'Meara in enough interviews for an answer to be virtually rehearsed.

"It's definitely very humbling, but I'm yet to play an AFL game," he said.

"I think those comparisons are slightly premature.''

Rising Star expectations are similarly batted away.

"It's not in my thoughts too much; I'm not much of a punter myself," he said.

What is in O'Meara's thoughts, though, is football. The Dongara product says he loves the game and has done ever since his dad put a footy in his hands at the age of five.

O'Meara's 2012 campaign for the Suns' reserves was interrupted by groin and hernia problems, but last season was always about preparing for the big time.

"They told me they don't really like to call it OP (osteitis pubis) anymore, but they term it as chronic groin pain," he said.

"I think it comes down to probably getting into the gym and heavy weights with a bit of a weak core, so I've been doing a lot of work on my core.

"I struggled with it for a little while and I just needed to get it done. I haven't felt any pain in my groin since surgery, so I'm pretty confident in it.

"That's something I've had to learn along the way. I've learnt a lot about my body in the time that I've been in rehab, so even though it was a negative, I probably looked at it as a bit of a positive as well."

Having used his time at the club to add another 7kg of muscle to his already strong 184cm frame, O'Meara is ready to go in every sense.

"I'd be happy to play anywhere, but my favourite position would be in the midfield," he said.

"I like to be in the thick of things and if there's a spot for me there then I'll be taking it with both hands.

"I feel as though I can play inside mid or outside mid, depending on where the coaches like to play me."

O'Meara, who will turn 19 on the day the Suns begin their NAB Cup campaign against Brisbane and Hawthorn, was allowed a taste of senior football during the last pre-season competition before being barred from playing in the season proper.

He didn't look out of place, but is confident he'll be far better prepared 12 months on.

"They say NAB Cup is probably AFL at about 60 per cent," O'Meara said.

"It was still pretty fast for me. It was definitely a step up from WAFL footy and I'm sure that once I do eventually get a game in the home-and-away season then it's going to be another step up."

O'Meara prefers to talk about the team rather than himself and it's clear he appreciates the timing of his entry.

With what were designed to be Gold Coast's two most difficult seasons out of the way, the Suns' lofty goals were recently outlined by chairman John Witheriff, who's targeted a premiership within three years.

"We need to improve as a team and I think this time of year is all about working hard and smashing yourself," O'Meara said.

"We've still got a few gains we need to achieve and we're going the right way about it at the moment. Hopefully by Round 1 we'll be fit and firing to go.

"The boys are coming into their third years now, so they know what AFL footy's all about and they've definitely shown that they can compete against the big clubs.

"Hopefully we can take that into this year and we can keep going with that for the next few years and maybe even win a premiership."

While O'Meara has been compared to Judd, it's another Brownlow medallist - Gold Coast skipper Gary Ablett - who he's more likely to model his game on.

"He can do everything and I'd love to maybe one day become half the player he is because obviously he's a bit of a freak," O'Meara said.

"I've got a lot to learn but I'll pick his brain as much as I can. He's obviously one of the best players in the AFL, if not the best.

"I think he's probably the ultimate package. His willingness to execute skills at AFL pace at training is something that I've taken from him.

"He leads by example and he also tells boys how they can do things better and how they can improve."

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