Dedication adds up for Keitel
Going into last month's draft combine, Tyler Keitel expected curly questions from recruiters.
He had prepared extensively for every aspect of the camp but still found himself surprised when one club's delegation decided to test his maths knowledge.
"They asked me to divide 421 by three," he said.
"I just tried to go by the 100, did that four times then just did the 21 by itself and added it together.
"I don't know how much it means in terms of your football, but I gave it a good crack.
"I suppose it's not really if you can answer it, it's about if you're going to try your best to get as close to the answer as you can or if you're going to fold and not try."
Keitel's approach to the snap maths quiz reveals a lot about him. He impressed many a junior coach with his dedication and his ability to work through the unexpected.
The 194cm Noranda junior went into his draft season as a forward, but improved his stocks by finishing as one of WA's best back men after a run of injuries to the State team's defenders.
Keitel's attitude can be put down both to his upbringing and his early exposure to an elite sporting environment.
From the ages 12 to 17, Keitel was the State javelin champion for his age group and was accepted into the AIS athletics academy when he was 15.
He gave up the sport one year ago to focus on his football, but he said the lessons he learnt from athletics had fuelled his rise to a potential AFL player.
"That was probably where I first learnt the real taste of professionalism," he said. "I've tried to implement that in my football and I suppose that is what gives me sort of an edge at times."
One his coaches, former Fremantle defender Antoni Grover, praised his desire to learn.
