At the end of 2012, Koby Stevens was forced to make a tough call about his footballing future, and the versatile midfielder is increasingly confident he has made the right decision.
Despite being grateful for his time in Perth, Stevens saw limited opportunities to progress his football and decided to return to his home state, requesting a trade to the Western Bulldogs.
“The three years I spent there I got to play and train with very elite players such as Daniel Kerr, Matt Priddis and those kinds of blokes, so I learnt how to prepare myself very well,” Stevens said.
“Those kinds of things do give you stepping stones and I was lucky to tag Daniel Kerr all last year at training and got to see how he went about it and that really progressed my footy.
“I think it is the right decision for the future of my footy, I could have sat around at the Eagles and waited and waited [but] I just wanted to play footy – so hopefully that happens.”
A number of Clubs sought after the 21-year-old during the trade period but it was List Manager Jason McCartney who gave the Bulldogs the edge, having developed close ties with Stevens while he was coaching at the AIS Academy.
McCartney wasted no time in setting up a meeting between the courageous midfielder and Senior Coach Brendan McCartney, who explained the future direction of the Club and Stevens’ potential place within it.
“I sat down with Macca (Brendan McCartney) and he put a really good case forward and said ‘I really want you if you are willing to work hard’,” he said.
“He gave me respect from the start and I really respected him as a coach.
“Straight away when I walked into the Bulldogs you are just surrounded by a good group of young blokes – it was pretty simple, they made it easy.”
The fresh start at Whitten Oval has opened up a number of opportunities for Stevens, who made his debut in Bulldogs colours last Friday night against Hawthorn in the NAB Cup.
The Gippsland Power recruit was quick to demonstrate his commitment to the Bulldogs through his selfless pursuits.
“Last year I lost confidence in myself that I could actually play at that level, so I am out to prove to myself and to other people that I can play AFL footy and hopefully last for a long time,” he said.
In contrast to his spirited on-field persona, the Commerce student likes to take a more relaxed approach to life - surfing and getting away from the spotlight of the football world.
“You can get overwhelmed at times, especially when Buddy (Lance Franklin) just drags me down into the forward pocket on the weekend,” he joked.
“If you are too stressed out about things it kind of eats you up – away from footy that’s the way I like to be, I don’t like to get too stressed about footy.
“That’s the way I like it and it is just a good way to be.”
