GIANTS draft prospect Nick Shipley has dispelled his self-doubt and believes he's ready to be a permanent part of the club.
The GIANTS Academy midfielder will likely join the GIANTS in Friday's NAB AFL Draft, but while he won't carry the same amount of media attention into the night as players such as Jacob Hopper, Matt Kennedy or Will Setterfield before him, he's seen as an exciting prospect.
If Shipley's name is called out he will become the first born-and-bred western Sydney AFL player from the GIANTS academy, having grown up in Campbelltown, a suburb 50km south-west of Sydney's CBD.
He grew up in rugby league heartland but dreamt of an A-League career after playing soccer through most of his childhood, until making the switch to the oval ball in his early teens.
The GIANTS are frontrunners but Fremantle and Richmond have also expressed strong interest in drafting Shipley, so he could end up playing alongside his idols Callan Ward and Ryan Griffen, or Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe.
"With 'Wardy' and 'Griff', they're big hard bodies that like to always go at it, so I like to play like them, that contested style of footy," he said.
"I've also always loved watching Nat Fyfe too. I'd always watch his games when I could and idolised him a lot as well."
Shipley has always been a talent but admitted it wasn't until he played some outstanding footy for the Allies in this year's national championships and in other representative appearances that he felt an AFL career was something he could achieve.
"It helped show me that I can match it with the boys that are considered the best in the country," he said.
"I had my doubts and was pretty nervous before those games because I'd never played at that level of footy before.
"But I definitely believe I have the ability and confidence to play senior footy now."
In nine NEAFL games this season Shipley looked at home among AFL-listed GIANTS, often starting games in the centre square.
He averaged 18 possessions; almost half of those contested, six tackles, 2.7 clearances and 2.2 inside 50s per game, and gained some invaluable experience from players including Steve Johnson, Stephen Coniglio and Brett Deledio along the way.
"Playing with guys like 'Stevie J', 'Cogs' and 'Lids' this year helped me a lot, but also the young guys like Harry Himmelberg and Isaac Cumming," he said.
"They went through the draft process not long ago, so I always talk to them about how they were feeling at the time, which has made things a lot easier for me definitely."
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