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He may suffer the butterflies but Paul Bevan stings like a bee on the field, writes Jessica Halloran.
In those quiet, still moments before dawn on match day, Paul Bevan wakes. And in the morning darkness he paces up and down perfectly kept hotel hallways, his nerves already ticking even though the siren is so far off.
His roommate, the All Australian, a senior footballer whose career is already thick with accolades, is trying to sleep, but the rookie just keeps doing laps. "The pacer," midfielder Paul Williams has dubbed the 19-year-old.
"I get heaps nervous," Bevan murmurs, half embarrassed about his early morning walks. "Even though it's the sixth game, you'd think it would be a bit easier, but I still get nervous."
Tomorrow Bevan will run out onto the SCG for his seventh senior game. For a kid that stood on a footy ground for the under-18 NSW/ACT Rams thinking: "Gee, what am I doing here?" - his confidence and toughness have truly emerged in senior football.
Swans coach Paul Roos remarked this week that the back-pocket dynamo had been "a surprise" - not detracting from his talent, rather in the same way small forward Adam Schneider was unearthed last year.
"He is courageous, he has a go, he does all the things we like as a club, the other players like him," Roos said. "The other stuff is gradually coming - the football nous, a bit of calmness and some composure with the footy."
In these opening matches, he has shown strength and poise in his role as a defender. Also, most importantly, a no-fear quality.
In the pre-season and the end of last year, Bevan's aggression was something to be proud of, except he was usually crashing through the pack, knocking someone over rather than collecting the football. Roos said Bevan's aggression had now been contained and better focused.
"Now he's learnt football smarts more than anything else, he's got good courage, good pace, he's a natural athlete, now he is winning the ball before his opponent does," Roos said.
Bevan's confidence was noted from the first bounce this season, where he played in the back pocket against the reigning premiers from go to the final siren. When asked about that experience his eyes open wide.
"I didn't expect a start, let alone play. It was awesome running around the Gabba," Bevan said. "Oh, seniors? It's heaps quicker. I've dreamt to play AFL football since I was five. It's nothing what I expected. It's much better."
There have been some revealing moments, too.
In a trial match in the pre-season, Bevan was feeling ill before a Collingwood game and threw up on the field. He was heckled by the black-and-white crowd. And then last week, when he was warming up at the MCG, he miskicked and the ball landed in the hands of the opposition Essendon fans. He politely asked for it back but the fan who had caught it threw it aside and heckled him.
Bevan recalled those moments with laughter and a tinge of disbelief. Off the field, Bevan is quiet and his nickname is "Rowdy". He has a laconic way of speaking but he says he's not laid-back.
"I'm pretty uptight," he says.
Bevan's mother, Christine, believes her son has been successful this season because someone has shown faith in him.
"Under Paul Roos . . . he brought the old Paul back," Christine said. "I remember him coming home and saying, 'Mum, he's got faith in me'. I think someone didn't have faith in him prior, and he's developed back into the old Paul."
Bevan said constant hard work over the pre-season shifted his form from the rookie list to the senior team.
"We had a meeting at the end of the year. Just to go over the year [in reserves]. They said the first half of the year was pretty ordinary but the second half, that saved me," he said.
Bevan started to work harder and received guidance from senior players such as captain Stuart Maxfield, Jared Crouch and Leo Barry.
Bevan, despite his good form, does not take his place on the team for granted.
"I didn't expect to play the first six, so every game is just a bonus. It's still a thrill you being told you are playing next week," he said.
In those quiet, still moments before dawn on match day, Paul Bevan wakes. And in the morning darkness he paces up and down perfectly kept hotel hallways, his nerves already ticking even though the siren is so far off.
His roommate, the All Australian, a senior footballer whose career is already thick with accolades, is trying to sleep, but the rookie just keeps doing laps. "The pacer," midfielder Paul Williams has dubbed the 19-year-old.
"I get heaps nervous," Bevan murmurs, half embarrassed about his early morning walks. "Even though it's the sixth game, you'd think it would be a bit easier, but I still get nervous."
Tomorrow Bevan will run out onto the SCG for his seventh senior game. For a kid that stood on a footy ground for the under-18 NSW/ACT Rams thinking: "Gee, what am I doing here?" - his confidence and toughness have truly emerged in senior football.
Swans coach Paul Roos remarked this week that the back-pocket dynamo had been "a surprise" - not detracting from his talent, rather in the same way small forward Adam Schneider was unearthed last year.
"He is courageous, he has a go, he does all the things we like as a club, the other players like him," Roos said. "The other stuff is gradually coming - the football nous, a bit of calmness and some composure with the footy."
In these opening matches, he has shown strength and poise in his role as a defender. Also, most importantly, a no-fear quality.
In the pre-season and the end of last year, Bevan's aggression was something to be proud of, except he was usually crashing through the pack, knocking someone over rather than collecting the football. Roos said Bevan's aggression had now been contained and better focused.
"Now he's learnt football smarts more than anything else, he's got good courage, good pace, he's a natural athlete, now he is winning the ball before his opponent does," Roos said.
Bevan's confidence was noted from the first bounce this season, where he played in the back pocket against the reigning premiers from go to the final siren. When asked about that experience his eyes open wide.
"I didn't expect a start, let alone play. It was awesome running around the Gabba," Bevan said. "Oh, seniors? It's heaps quicker. I've dreamt to play AFL football since I was five. It's nothing what I expected. It's much better."
There have been some revealing moments, too.
In a trial match in the pre-season, Bevan was feeling ill before a Collingwood game and threw up on the field. He was heckled by the black-and-white crowd. And then last week, when he was warming up at the MCG, he miskicked and the ball landed in the hands of the opposition Essendon fans. He politely asked for it back but the fan who had caught it threw it aside and heckled him.
Bevan recalled those moments with laughter and a tinge of disbelief. Off the field, Bevan is quiet and his nickname is "Rowdy". He has a laconic way of speaking but he says he's not laid-back.
"I'm pretty uptight," he says.
Bevan's mother, Christine, believes her son has been successful this season because someone has shown faith in him.
"Under Paul Roos . . . he brought the old Paul back," Christine said. "I remember him coming home and saying, 'Mum, he's got faith in me'. I think someone didn't have faith in him prior, and he's developed back into the old Paul."
Bevan said constant hard work over the pre-season shifted his form from the rookie list to the senior team.
"We had a meeting at the end of the year. Just to go over the year [in reserves]. They said the first half of the year was pretty ordinary but the second half, that saved me," he said.
Bevan started to work harder and received guidance from senior players such as captain Stuart Maxfield, Jared Crouch and Leo Barry.
Bevan, despite his good form, does not take his place on the team for granted.
"I didn't expect to play the first six, so every game is just a bonus. It's still a thrill you being told you are playing next week," he said.
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