The physical similarities are immediately apparent, however Maitland’s Brandt Job is receiving plenty of comparisons with Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney because of the path he is taking.
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Comparisons with Maitland-raised Heeney are a big wrap, but they have been coming even more frequent since Job, a member of the Sydney Swans Academy under-18 squad, was recruited by Heaney’s old Black Diamond Cup team Cardiff.
“The boys at Cardiff bring it up a fair bit, but I don’t mind it’s a pretty big wrap,” Job said in Maitland this week before flying down to Melbourne with his father Dean for the Under-18 National Championships.
A bottom-age player, who has yet to play for the Swans at the titles, Job is hopeful of selection in one of the games to come.
“I can still play under-17s, so I’ve got another year to go, but it would be massive to play in one of the next couple of games as a bottom-age player,” the Maitland Grossmann High School student said.
“If not I’ve just got to concentrate and work hard and put my name forward at the nationals next year.”
The absence of the older boys, however, did provide an opportunity to play with the Swans team in the NEAFL competition and he acquitted himself well.
He is likely to move to Sydney next year so that he can combine study and get more opportunities to play in the NEAFL which features the Giants, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Northern Territory.
The under-18 championships have undergone a change this year, with the previous NSW Rams state team divided into Swans and GWS Giants teams.
“They picked a 40 man squad which features eight under-age players. I was the only under-17 from the Hunter to be selected in the squad,” Job said.
“In our division we have the Swans, GWS, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Brisbane and Gold Coast.”
Job started playing AFL in 2012, playing with the Maitland Saints and then moving to Lake Macquarie’s junior program when a transfer request to play with Cardiff was knocked back.
“At Lake Macquarie I played with the under-15s and under-17s,” he said.
Cardiff chased Job’s signature at the beginning of this year and having a couple of mates who played there and being able to play premier division convinced him to go Hawkds
Job was best on ground last week for the unbeaten Hawks in their 10-point win against Nelson Bay.
“I play everywhere, but I like to play backs. The Swans play me there, but with Cardiff I’ve been on the wing and had a stint in the middle which I loved,” he said.
Job will enter the 2018 AFL national draft and will be happy to go interstate.
“It’s my dream, I’ll go anywhere,” he said.