THE equation was simple for Isaac Wareham – football in winter, cricket in summer.
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Now, it’s becoming more complicated.
Wareham, 16, was picked in the 2019 AFL Academy intake, which was announced last week, and will be part of high performance camps in the lead up to next year’s national draft.
He also represented Vic Country at the Cricket Australia under 17 national championships earlier this month.
Wareham is hoping to play both sports for as long as possible.
The Mortlake-raised prospect, who is boarding at St Patrick’s College Ballarat, turns 17 on Christmas Eve.
“This year I am bottom-age for my age group in cricket, so I will try and focus on footy in the coming year and depending on how that goes I’ll see how cricket goes the year after when I am top-age,” he said.
“I have probably been a little bit better at cricket but I have worked a little bit harder at footy.
“I have only just started getting the end results with footy because I have always been in a higher level in cricket.”
Wareham plays division one cricket for South West association club Mortlake and has been a regular for the Western Waves at state championship level.
He made his TAC Cup debut for Greater Western Victoria Rebels in June as the youngest player on their list and established himself at Hampden league level for Terang Mortlake.
The endurance specialist, who can play as either a wingman or running half-back flanker, said he was surprised to make the AFL Academy.
The program has produced five Brownlow Medallists – Chris Judd, Trent Cotchin, Paddy Dangerfield, Tom Mitchell and Adam Cooney – and eight rising star winners, including Brisbane’s Lewis Taylor who hails from the same Hampden league club as Wareham.
“I didn’t really know what the program was but after I found out I was pretty honoured to get an opportunity to get my name out there,” he said.
“It’s pretty surreal to think I am classed with them elite players. I am not sure if I will get to their heights but we’ll see how we’ll go.”
Wareham will join South Warrnambool’s Jamarra Ugle-Hagan as one of 150 players from across Australia in the academy which has been split into talent regions – Vic Country, Vic Metro, Western Australia, South Australia and Allies – for the first time.
Vic Country’s first camp is from December 9-14.
In the meantime the cousin of Australian cricketer Georgia Wareham will focus on his cricket at Mortlake.
The 2017-18 Mortlake premiership player has made 69 runs and taken four wickets in his two division one appearances for the Cats so far this season.
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