Tough-nut Chad knows only one way

Chad Wingard at home with parents Julie and Trevor. Picture: Sarah Reed

Andrew Capel, The Advertiser, November 06, 2011

CHAD Wingard is a victim of his own courage.

But while he might pay a price at this month's AFL national draft, Sturt's boy wonder is adamant he will not change the way he plays.

"I'm not going to back out of a contest - that's not me,'' said the lightly-built, 18-year-old excitement machine.

"I take pride in the way I play and the way I want to be viewed as a footballer.

"I go in hard and if I backed out of a contest I would never forgive myself.

"I pride myself on being a courageous player.''

Brilliant SA under-18 captain Wingard will be the first Croweater chosen at this month's draft. But no longer is the Murray Bridge product considered a certain top-three pick.

Once rated alongside powerhouse Victorian forward Jonathon Patton and ace WA midfielder Stephen Coniglio as the best three 2011 draft prospects, onballer Wingard now has a question mark hovering over him.

It is not over his prodigious talent - which earned him an All-Australian jumper this year - but his durability.

Wingard's fearlessness has seen him knocked unconscious or be badly dazed five times in the past five years.

The concussions started at age 14 while his last head knock in July prematurely ended his national under-18 championships campaign - the result of being picked up in a tackle and dumped by fellow Croweater, Vic Metro hard nut Jack Viney.

Wingard's history of concussions has prompted some AFL clubs to ask the league to request he undertake brain scans before the draft.

"The AFL's contacted me about it and said clubs are just keen to know exactly what they are getting, which is fine,'' he said.

"Doctors have told me you're not in danger of any brain damage unless you are concussed twice within a two-week period and, luckily, I've had long breaks between my heavy knocks.''

SA under-18 coach Brenton Phillips believes Wingard has AFL star written all over him and that clubs are finding unnecessary reasons to panic before the draft.

But with some health doubts and new club Greater Western Sydney looking for a cross section of positional talent with the top five picks in the draft, Wingard suddenly has emerged as a real possibility to end up at Port Adelaide - which owns pick six.

The Power needs another classy midfielder to complement the talents of Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Hamish Hartlett, veteran captain Dom Cassisi and new recruit Brad Ebert.

Port is among six clubs to interview Wingard, along with the Giants, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Hawthorn and North Melbourne.

"If I'm lucky enough to be chosen by GWS with a top-five pick, that would be great,'' said Wingard.

"But obviously my preference would be to stay in SA, alongside my family and friends. It would be great to play at Port.''

Despite some concussion concerns, Wingard is widely considered to be a can't-miss prospect. He is an athletic freak who chose football over basketball three years ago - soon after starring at the Australian under-16 basketball championships, where he was named SA's MVP.

A dynamic point guard, Wingard - whose middle name is Jordan, after basketball legend Michael Jordan - averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

But his dad, Trevor - a country football legend who played 25 years of senior football at Mypolonga and in Murray Bridge - pushed him towards football, believing he had a better future in the sport.

"Chad took to basketball early on and excelled at it but, given his stature (182cm), football was probably the better option for him,'' Trevor said.

Wingard has played football since he was 11 and made the state under-12s side in just his second year. But he didn't take it too seriously until joining Sturt's under-15s.

He made a meteoric rise through the grades, making the SA under-16 and under-18 teams (twice) and debuting at league level at 17 this year, playing eight games.

Wingard was selected in this year's All-Australian under-18 side, despite missing the last one-and-a-half games after the Viney tackle.

"He's just always had something special about him,'' said Trevor, estimating the family had travelled 300,000km in getting Chad to training and games in Adelaide.

"He was walking at nine months and was bouncing a basketball between his legs and kicking a football around at an early age.''

Wingard's outstanding athletic qualities were highlighted at the AFL draft combine where he placed in the top 10 in four events - the running and standing vertical jumps, agility run and handball/clean hands assessment. He won the running vertical jump trophy.

His style of play has been compared to stars including Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury, Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli and ex-Essendon and Power champion Gavin Wanganeen.

Significantly, Wingard has a fierce desire for the contest. He said he was devastated at missing the chance to go head-to-head with Coniglio at the under-18 nationals because of injury.

"I like to test myself against the best,'' he said.

"I've just got this real drive and competitiveness in me and I was really angry that I couldn't play against WA and stand Coniglio.''