Trent Sporn's 2001 Report Card


Trent Sporn

By Rick Latimer & Shane Thiele
February 22 2002

Trent Sporn is another youngster with big expectations placed on him. Came close to the big time in 2001 and must be odds on to feature in the seniors a few times in 2002. Does he have what it takes?

Rick's Summary

Shane's Summary
So close and yet so far .... Trent Sporn went within a whisker of making his senior debut in his first season in 2001.  He obviously had a lot of fans amongst the Blues hierarchy who were fighting to resist the temptation to throw him in the mix too early.  I can't remember a team lineup being discussed last season without Trent's name being mentioned.  History will show that despite a year filled with unfortunate injury, the Blues have chosen to do what the Blues do best .... nurture their young players properly.
 
If fit it seems that nothing will stop Sporn from making his debut this season.  Some preseason game time is a must to determine where he is at compared to established league footballers.  By all accounts a little bit of upper body development will make Sporn one of the most versatile players Carlton have.  It's a pretty good word, that 'V' word.  Also stands for victory and quite often the two will go hand in hand.
 
I think the first time I ever heard of Trent Sporn was when he was drafted. The footage at the time showed a young South Australian not without some talent but he had his knee bandaged.  Alarm bells!  We are drafting another youngster with injury worries. I find it therefore ironical that practically everybody at Optus Oval bar the pie sellers went down with injury during the year but Trent not only stood tall but was a fantastic player at VFL level.  I should learn never to judge people on first impressions.

I would love to see Wayne Brittain just once... give a player like Sporn the licence to go out and play his natural game and hang team goals.  The Wizard Cup is the perfect time to do it.  Let's see if that prodigious talent can surface when playing with the big boys.

 2001 Rating 5/10

 

 

RETAINED

 

Old Dark Navys.com Message Board

 
After speaking glowingly in my last review about Simon Wiggins, it takes my mind back to my first impressions of Trent Sporn. As much as I try not to pass judgement on raw rookies I have to admit that after watching Trent's early season exploits I couldn't help but cast a jealous eye through the list of names that were still available after pick 11 of the 2000 draft. This added to the fact that most 'experts' were surprised he was drafted so early made me wonder if we had yet another wasted early draft pick on our hands.

I need not have worried as once Trent found his feet and lost that initial uncertainty he showed once and for all why he was thought of so highly by the Blues hierachy. Sporn found himself in a variety of positions in 2001 and looked more than capable of occupying any one of them for a length of time. It was a delight to watch a player improve so dramatically in a mere six months and my only disappointment was that his efforts were not rewarded with at least one league game.

2002 Verdict

Like Wiggins he is destined to play his fair share of games this year. His versatility will be a crucial factor in gaining selection as he can play either tall or short. Others have likened him to an 80's favourite in David Glascott and if he turns out to be half as good as 'The Twirler' the Blues have secured themselves a fine player.

Carlton love having the luxury of a tall marking wingman with players like Hanna and Koutoufides playing the role to perfection. Sporn is a perfect candidate to play a similar role as he lacks nothing in the height, reach or marking department. An extra pre-season in the weights room will do him no harm but even so, fans should not be misled by his slight frame. On many occasions I was impressed with his lack of trepidation when backing into the unknown of an oncoming pack and that confidence can only blossom further with added years of experience.

He was a worthy joint winner of the VFL's best & fairest and will no doubt be seen sooner rather than later in the upcoming season.

  2001 Rating 5/10

 

 

RETAINED

Trent Sporn - Number 36

Career Stats

Games: 0 Goals: 0

2001 Stats (Including finals)

Games: 0 Goals: 0

Kicks: N/A Marks: N/A Handballs: N/A

2001 Leading Stats (League, Minor Round Only)

N/A

2001 Leading Stats (Carlton only, Minor Round)

N/A

Big Games

N/A

Season Highlight

Being joint winner of the Blues VFL best & fairest.

Season Lowlight

Not given a senior game despite being close to selection on numerous occasions.

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