From his birth Jack Dadd was destined to be a Kangaroo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
At the presentation night the year he was born the club gave the now teenager a commemorative medallion to welcome him.
Set in a case, inscribed with "Baby Roo" and his name, it became a symbol of a dream that he has carried for as long as he can remember and finally realised this season.
On Saturday he will play his fifth game for the Kangaroos when they host the Inverell Saints. He was originally meant to be in Inverell with the Tamworth Roosters under-17s for their major semi-final, but they have had to forfeit with injuries leaving them short of players.
READ ALSO:
Dadd's emergence as a star of the future has been one of the bright spots in what has been a tough season for the club.
The moment he had long-awaited for came against the Moree Suns in Round 2 and the 16-year old shone brightly kicking four goals.
"It was pretty exciting," he said.
"I've been training with them for about three years now so it was good to finally pull on the jersey and get a run."
Age had precluded him up until this season from donning the royal blue and white strip that his father Jon, mother Sarah and sisters Maddy and Amelia all have.
Sarah and Maddy were part of the women's side that won the premiership two year ago while his dad also won a title with the Roos.
Dadd's passion for the game was ingrained from an early age.
"My parents are from Western Australia so we always watched AFL," he recalled.
After starting out in Auskick, he graduated through into the under-14s and then under-17s, where this season he is the competition's leading goalkicker with 29 goals.
He has kicked seven for Roos after booting three in the local derby two weeks after his debut.
In Year 10 at Oxley High, Dadd said it has been "a pretty steep learning curve".
"It's a lot more structured and much more physical," he noted.
His Roosters commitments have limited his opportunities a bit with the Roos, with the two sides rarely playing in the same town.
He said he would like to see how far he can go in the sport. As a stepping stone he is trying out for the Northern Heat development program.
Dadd is also an avid cricketer and plays lower grades for South Tamworth.
