Draft hopeful Alex Hickey. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: Colleen Petch / News Limited
ALEX Hickey regularly catches teammates and coaches off guard-with his hearing loss.
Mostly, it's not until the 180cm backman asks a mate to hold on to his hearing aids for a moment that people even realise the extra hurdle he has jumped on his football journey.
Not that the 50 per cent hearing reduction in both ears has really hindered his AFL dream.
The Geelong Falcons co-captain and best-and-fairest winner is as tough and reliable as they come in the backline, moulding his cool-as-a-cucumber gamestyle on king Cat Corey Enright.
Taking his aids off for all matches and contact training, the part-time maths tutor and keen guitarist says he is almost unaffected by his hearing issue in-play - or in more broad terms - in any aspect of life.
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"I can hear most things, and certainly everything in-close," Hickey said.
"I don't miss (teammate) Jimmy Tsitas screaming for the ball, for instance.
"It's more so spectators yelling out from a distance or coaches yelling from the bench.
"If that ever happens, which is quite rare, the runner will come directly to me or my teammates will say 'hey Al, someone wants your attention'.
Alex Hickey is a draft hpeful. Picture: Colleen Petch. Source: News Limited
"So the things I don't hear are probably the unimportant things."
At one of the most successful AFL pathway clubs in the country, Hickey's selfless attitudes and character values are rated as highly as any player to come through the Falcons system, according to regional manager Michael Turner.
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While he loves football, the game he has played since he began kicking the Sherrin in the street with his father, the 18-year-old is not obsessed by the prospect of an AFL career.
"It's really important to have things other than footy in your life," he said.
"Having finished VCE, I've watched some kids put all their eggs in the footy basket and when it doesn't work out for them, there is a lot of disappointment."
What motivates Hickey, above all else, is helping others.
Whether it's blocking for a teammate on the goal line, or guiding a VCE student through another complex maths equation, he gets his kicks seeing others succeed.
"I really enjoy watching people improve, that's probably the one thing (which drives him)," he said.
"The maths and stuff I don't really enjoy too much, but I really enjoy seeing people grow and gain more confidence and that's what keeps me going (as a tutor)."
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