JACK Hutt will pull on a North Ballarat Rebels guernsey for the first time tomorrow but feels his long-term playing future lies in Cobden.
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The skilful utility’s dream is to build a solid TAC Cup career and then join fellow Bombers Ben Cunnington, Gary Rohan, Jackson Merrett and Zach Merrett on the AFL stage.
But the self-deprecating dairy farmer will not burden himself with lofty expectations.
Hutt plays for the love of the game, not the accolades.
“I can’t see myself going any further with my footy,” Hutt said.
“It’s a big eye-opener going up there (to Ballarat) with all the good players.
“You have to be realistic. I’d be happy to play good senior footy at Cobden.”
Hutt, 17, is a lifelong Bomber — “there’s no place I’d rather be” — and wants to use his TAC Cup experience to help mould the club’s next generation.
He joined Cobden as a junior and worked his way up the ranks, making his senior debut in the latter stages of an injury-marred 2014 campaign.
“It is a pretty good junior club. I played in four junior grand finals and last year we made finals too,” Hutt said.
“Things are looking unbelievably good for Cobden in the future.
“This year and the next couple might be a bit short but if the kids stick around it will be unreal.”
Hutt is Corangamite Shire’s first North Ballarat Rebels’ debutant following off-season zone changes.
He will line-up against Geelong Falcons — a club he trained with prior to the 2014 season — in the Rebels’ season-opener tomorrow. “It is an honour to be picked. We played Geelong last week in a practice match and after that I didn’t expect to get picked. I was pretty ordinary,” he said.
“It’s pretty exciting I suppose.
“I have been playing back pocket or back flank and taking the medium-sized player and also been kicking out at full-back.
“I am starting on the bench and they said they will float me down in the backline.”
Hutt’s surprise TAC Cup call-up comes after a broken leg forced him to miss 12 weeks of the 2014 Hampden league season.
The injury still aggravates him at times but doesn’t play on his mind.
“I was in plaster for six weeks I think and then went to the physio and I had no muscle around it because I’d lost all the muscle,” he said. “I played the last six under 18 games and played two senior games at the end.
“I wasn’t really fit at all so was pretty happy and surprised.”
Off the field, Hutt is busy establishing himself as a full-time farmer.
He left Cobden Technical School at the end of year 11 to work for Brad Couch on his Brucknell property.
Working on the land had always appealed to Hutt.
“As a kid I spent heaps of time on my uncle’s farm,” he said. “Growing up around it all it’s all I have ever known.
“Brad offered me a school-based apprenticeship a couple of years ago and offered me full-time this year.”
Hutt is one of three south-west teenagers who will make their Rebels debuts tomorrow at Kardinia Park.
South Warrnambool’s Shannon Beks was named at centre half-forward and Koroit’s Nick Hausler as a second ruck option.
Warrnambool’s Tom Schnerring and Portland’s Tom Templeton are back as 19-year-old listed players and Blues wingman Luke McLeod was also selected.
Portland’s Jake Edwards and Cobden’s Christian Koroneos were named as emergencies.
The Rebels have a short turnaround as they’re set to play Bendigo Pioneers away on Good Friday.