A star was born on Saturday night as Romsey's Jake Lever made his AFL debut for the Adelaide Football Club against Gold Coast. Lever received the announcement on Thursday after the Reserves side finished training. He was asked to stay behind and was given the good news. He was selected in the back pocket. He played the position to perfection, finishing the game with 17 touches, 10 marks and three tackles.
"He has done us very proud," dad Al Lever said, "He was very happy with the way he played, it was an awesome experience."
Lever was the leading possession winner for the Crows in the opening term with eight touches. The Crows kicked away in the second term. He ventured further up the ground to apply great pressure and execute important spoils. He looked liked a seasoned veteran, taking on the likes of Tom Nicholls, Zac Smith and Tom Lynch, the latter 15 kilograms heavier than him.
Lever showed his true class in the second term when he backed into a pack to take a strong mark, unaware of any pressure around him and fearless in attack.
Alan said that he showed plenty of leadership on the field with constant encouragement and worked well in tandem with fellow backmen, Dan Talia and Kyle Cheney. He played 96 per cent of game time, second only to Talia for the game.
News of Lever's selection filtered through on Thursday evening with friends and family celebrating. The town of Romsey erupted and the support for Lever and his family has been remarkable.
"His selection highlighted the sacrifices that he has made along the way," Alan said.
Lever's debut came at a fitting time for his mum, Narelle, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday. Adelaide has a tradition where the parents of a debutant player present the jumper to their son. It was a fitting birthday present for Narelle to present her son's jumper on her birthday.
Lever battled osteitis pubis as a junior and missed all of 2014 with a knee reconstruction. It was expected that he may not have made his debut at all this year to give him 12 months to settle into the tempo of being at an AFL club. He was best afield in two of four Reserves games and his form was too good to ignore.
Credit - Midland Express
Author - Chris Yeend
* The Midland Express broke the news of Lever's appointment early on Facebook on Thursday evening with more than 3000 people viewing his great news in the first 24 hours. Check out the Express Facebook page - facebook.com/midlandexpress
Last Modified on 14/05/2015 11:10