EXCITED and wanting to bring excitement.
It’s been a whirlwind few days for Corey Durdin, but his journey in Navy Blue is only just getting started.
Durdin and his fellow draftees ticked off a key Carlton milestone on Monday when he officially arrived at Ikon Park and linked up with his teammates for the first time.
The other Carlton milestone? A feed at Lygon Street staple Donnini’s the night before.
It didn’t take long for the draftees to get stuck into the action, joining Monday’s training session in the Melbourne heat.
“It’s still pretty overwhelming. We’ve had the first training session, I’ve settled in now and I’m looking forward to the rest of what’s to come,” Durdin said.
“Training [on Monday] was really good. We worked hard and it was a pretty high intensity: we worked hard and the boys are going really well, so I’m really keen for it.”
Growing up in South Australia, Durdin would’ve seen a certain small forward make Adelaide Oval his own when the new Blue was an early teen.
And Durdin is hopeful that he can lock in a long-term spot in the Carlton forward line as he gets to work with one of the best to ever do it, Eddie Betts.
While he spent his junior football as a midfielder, Durdin was drafted last week as a small forward — it’s that position which he wants to make his own.
“I think my main role will be as a small forward, applying heaps of pressure and hopefully kicking some goals,” he said.
“I’m hoping to get a stint on-ball as well and we’ll look into that further. It’s a good time to come into the Club: I’m really getting good vibes off of the Club and the fanbase as well.”
After winning the Kevin Sheehan Medal as the best player of the under-16 championships in 2018, a career in football has long been on the agenda for the speedy Durdin.
With senior SANFL football under his belt already, Durdin’s parents late last week said Carlton was in fact his club of choice in the lead-up to last Wednesday’s draft.
The 18-year-old is keen to repay the faith to his new club and his new Navy Blue wave of supporters.
“It’s been a long year and now that I’m actually here, I’m really happy and really excited,” he said.
“I want to bring a lot of excitement to the Club: I want to be one of those players that does real good things in big moments, playing my role to the best I can and shine in that position.”
