State 16s squad meet football legend Barry Cable

WA’s State 16s squad were lucky enough to meet Australian Football Hall of Fame legend Barry Cable who attended their training session on Thursday, July 5, at Claremont Showgrounds.

The young squad huddled around the three-time Perth Football Club premiership player and asked a range of questions on his experience through his decorated football career, development as a young player, the key to becoming a champion player, and the expectations and pressures that came with it all.

Cable talked about the importance of being a confident player, a player who isn’t afraid to make a mark on the footy field and believes in their own ability and skill.

The football legend also detailed the event which brought his playing career to an end in 1979 – the day he nearly died on his Orange Grove farm when he got pinned by a runaway tractor. His leg was shredded to the bone and doctors at first feared it might have to be amputated.

Cable outlined the extensive surgery he underwent to replace the lost muscle with a slab cut from his right hip and how he even needed special clearance from then-WA premier Sir Charles Court to use a special drug to help him heal.

The talk forms part of the squads final preparations ahead of the AFL National 16s Championship clashes against Victoria Country and Victoria Metro next week.