SYDNEY SWANS youngster Patrick Veszpremi is hoping for a little more accuracy in front of goal against Fremantle on Saturday night.
The talented 18-year-old kicked 1.4 from five shots in his impressive debut match against the Western Bulldogs last Sunday.
“I shanked a couple last week, which was disappointing because I am normally a good kick at goal,” he said.
“I have been kicking well in the reserves so I hope I can convert truly on the weekend.”
Veszpremi, the Swans first pick in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft and the number 11 selection overall, only found out he was making his debut less than 48 hours before the match in Canberra.
“I got a call late on Friday after training from one of the coaches telling me I was playing,” Veszpremi said.
“They wanted to make sure I hadn’t taken off to Canberra a day early for the reserves match on the Saturday.”
Veszpremi experienced mixed emotions on the weekend losing in his first game and feeling the effects of Barry Hall.
“I fell on Hall’s foot which hit me in the ribs and it was very painful,” he said. “If that wasn’t bad enough his opponent then fell on me doubling the pain.”
Thankfully for the Swans and Veszpremi he didn’t suffer any serious injuries, however, he realised the need to improve his fitness to play at the top level.
“It was a very cool experience to play AFL last week and I thought I adjusted to the tempo quite well but I certainly understood that I need to work on my fitness so I can present more.”
Although only 181cm tall, Veszpremi has all the attributes of a leading forward and this is evident by the eight goals he kicked in a TAC Cup qualifying final last year.
His focus, however, is on Fremantle tomorrow.
“Playing at the SCG tomorrow will be like a dream and I can’t wait to play in front of all our fans,” he said. “Hopefully, we can cap it off with a win.”