His coach may have likened Jaidyn Stephenson’s forward pressure to Cyril Rioli’s after just his fourth AFL match, but the Collingwood forward insists he's still a work in progress.
After failing to kick a goal in the first three rounds, the 19-year-old made the most of his opportunities at the Adelaide Oval to kick five majors in the Magpies' win over the Crows on Friday night.
Stephenson all but sealed the victory with a morale-boosting set shot from outside 50m in the third quarter, giving the visitors a 52-point lead.
"Credit goes to my teammates, they were telling me to kick it. So, if they have faith in me, they believe in me, I might as well have a crack," he said.
"I certainly knew I had it in me – if I didn't I would've passed it off."
Stephenson said backing up the performance was the next challenge.
"Just trying to do it consistently I guess. Maybe not five (goals) but playing my role every game, which I think I've done reasonably well," he said.
Stephenson was pick No. 6 in last year's National Draft, but for some clubs his impressive credentials as a junior were overshadowed by a heart condition.
Medical advice suggested it wouldn't affect his footy and that was enough for Collingwood, with coach Nathan Buckley was drawn to his pace and pressure.
"He's got speed which is not a commodity that we've got in abundance on our list," he said.
"We identified that in recruiting for him in particular and he hasn't let us down.
"A lot of his pressure is chasing pressure because he closes the distance so quickly.
"When you've got a player like that around, not unlike a Cyril Rioli or a (Paul) Puopolo for Hawthorn, you never know when they're going to get you."
Stephenson said the team's performance had been building for weeks.
"We've been trying to piece this together, this Collingwood footy, and we've shown it in glimpses in the first three rounds, but I think this was the closest we've come to a four-quarter effort," he said.
Jaidyn Stephenson kicked five goals in just his fourth match as a Magpie.
Stephenson enjoying his Magpie ride
His coach may have likened Jaidyn Stephenson’s forward pressure to Cyril Rioli’s after just his fourth AFL match, but the Collingwood forward insists he's still a work in progress.
