By Grant Hitzman
Labrador teenager, Dyson Budarick, has been named the Round 3 rising star after a standout performance against Mt Gravatt on Sunday.
The gun 16-year old, who captained the U16 Nth Gold Coast Stingrays and represented Queensland in 2013, has enjoyed a superb start to his debut QAFL season.
Budarick continued his early season form into Sunday’s clash against the Vultures, where he displayed exceptional maturity for his age and was instrumental in the Tigers 55-point win.
Labrador Football Operations Manager, Jarrod Field, praised the efforts of the young Queenslander, highlighting his commitment to training and seamless transition to senior football.
“His attitude over the summer, approach to training and intensity in practice matches was excellent,” Fields said.
“He has only played three games of senior football, but each week he is getting better, going from strength to strength – the way he has adjusted to the tempo of senior footy is really impressive.”
With Labrador looking to inject youth into their squad, Fields is confident that 2014 is the perfect time for Budarick to shine.
“We are very keen as a footy club to not only play kids at a higher level, but give them the opportunity to stay at that level,” Fields said.
“We played three under-18 debutants in Round 1 and Dyson has certainly taken his opportunity and run with it so far.
“His tackling ability and composure with the footy has flourished this season and he will probably stay in the seniors for the majority of the year as a result”
Also a Gold Coast SUNS Level 2 Academy player, Budarick’s future in football looks very bright, however, Fields is adamant that the club will not rush his rise through the ranks.
“I certainly think he is good enough and has all the tools to succeed at higher levels – he reminds me a bit of Ricky Petterd and Dayne Zorko, the higher he goes the better he will be,” Fields said.
“But we won’t rush him and push him too early into that territory until the time is right, he is still only a kid,” Fields said.
“For now and the near future I’d like to see him maintain his spot in the senior team, push for a game at NEAFL level and play state 18’s later in the season.”
