VFL experience reignites Scott Brown's desire to play more representative rules

Last Saturday is a moment the Bathurst Bushrangers talent will long remember as he ran out for his first game of VFL.

Brown was a surprise inclusion in the Greater Western Sydney Giants outfit which took on Port Melbourne at Blacktown.

"To be honest it was really unexpected. I got a call from my [Giants] academy coach on Thursday night asking if I wanted to have a game of VFL and I said 'Yeah, 100 percent, I'd love to'," Brown said.

"I have actually been unlucky with not getting in the NAB League side this year, there are still a couple of games which I am working towards getting selected for, but I've just been working really hard at training and I must have turned the right heads at training and they thought I'd be a good fit.

"I don't anyone has played VFL from Bathurst before or anyone from the Central West."

While the 19-year-old has been involved in the GWS set up since 2018 and enjoyed a number of highlights in the Giants' colours, his latest experience will no doubt rank near the top of the list.

Since its formation in 1896 the VFL has seen many of the sport's great amongst its ranks. It is a competition which evolved into the AFL in 1990 while the VFL then became a reserves league for Melbourne clubs.

This season it features 22 clubs with not only Melbourne outfits, but Sydney based teams like the Giants and Queensland sides as well.

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"Leading up to it I was very nervous, going in to a completely new side I didn't know many people and it's a high level of footy," Brown said.

"But once I started playing it was really good."

Brown came off the interchange bench in singlet #77 and lined up as full forward, but he saw more action down the ground than inside 50. He had one disposal and three tackles as the Giants won 11-9-75 to 9-12-66.

"Playing at full forward was a bit of a switch from being down back, but that was a late decision which was made this year back in pre-season. They thought it would be a good opportunity for me to learn the forward line craft, so I've learned it and here I am playing in the forward line," he said.

"I didn't see a lot of ball in the forward 50, I was given the job to just sort of compete in the air most of the day and just around the ground. I laid a few tackles and competed in some contests.

"I played probably about 90 percent of the game which was good. I learned a lot, I was playing with AFL listed players again and just what they've got to teach is unreal."

The experience is one which has Brown hungry for more game time in the VFL. It means he will keep commuting from Bathurst to Sydney to train but as he says, "It's definitely worth it."

"That one game has sort of reignited a fire that was inside of me, so hopefully I can keep pushing a little bit harder and hopefully get some more games," he said.

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