He towers at 196 centimetres and can boot a bag of goals, clunk big marks and pinch-hit in the ruck.
Meet Sydney forward Joel Amartey, the latest young Swan to have put pen to paper.
The Swans have thrown Amartey a one-year rookie contract extension off the back of impressive form in the NEAFL, linking the youngster with Sydney until at least the end of 2019.
Amartey said he was over the moon to ink the new deal.
“It’s a great feeling just knowing the coaching staff are backing me to keep improving and they believe in me and in what I can do on the field,” Amartey told SwansTV.
“That gives me a little more confidence to play the way I play and hopefully we can get some more wins on the board.
“I was pretty surprised with the extension. I just wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Getting to the middle of the season I was a bit anxious about what would happen next year. I’m just relieved with the good news.
“Mum and dad were really excited. Being from Melbourne, they were pretty worried about what would happen next year. So they were really relieved to hear the great news too.”
Amartey signed with the Swans at last November’s rookie draft.
He had first caught the eye of Swans recruiter Kinnear Beatson in 2016, who first sighted the Victorian while tracking young midfielder Oliver Florent in Mentone Grammar colours.
Amartey and Florent were schoolmates at Melbourne's Mentone Grammar and now live with young Swans forward Ben Ronke, a set-up Amartey says has made for “an easy transition”.
His time with the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup helped pave the way to Sydney, and the 18-year-old says he hasn’t looked back since arriving at the Swans.
“Each day gets better and better,” Amartey said.
“I’m getting used to the lifestyle and day-to-day life of the Club.
“It’s great living with Ollie and Ben. They’re young boys like me. They’re helping me out and telling me what to do and what not to do.”
Amartey was at his best in the NEAFL in Round 7, finishing with four goals and seven marks as Sydney knocked off the ladder-leading Southport Sharks at the SCG.
The Swans’ NEAFL side is riding an eight-game winning streak and collected a 46-point win over the Giants in Wollongong last Saturday to inch from third to second on the ladder.
Amartey said a host of experienced players had carried the mantle in the hot run of form.
“The older guys like Colin O’Riordan, Nic Newman and Harry Marsh have really stepped up in their leadership with the younger boys,” Amartey said.
“We thrive off seeing them go hard at the ball every time and they inspire us to go hard at each contest.”
Newman and Marsh have in recent years both made their AFL debuts and Amartey says he’s looking to follow in their footsteps.
“I just want to put my hand up as much as I can and keep improving so I can earn my senior debut.”
