Former Big V basketballer Brock Carter joins SANFL football club Glenelg

Heathmere export Brock Carter, who hails from Portland, will aim to make his SANFL debut in 2023 after signing with Glenelg.

The ruckman captured the club's attention after a breakout season with AFL Cairns outfit North Cairns Tigers and impressive performances for NTFL side Pint, earning a call-up to play for the league's representative team against South Fremantle.

Carter suited up for Warrnambool Seahawks and was part of their 2016 Big V championship-winning team where he played alongside Nathan Sobey, who went onto become an Australian Boomers Olympian.

Carter, 23, said his rapid rise came as a surprise after returning to football via Geelong and District league club Bell Post Hill post the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When I started playing footy (again) I wouldn't have thought I'd be in the position I'm in at the moment," he told The Standard.

"I had set myself a goal that one day I wanted to play state footy and to be pretty close to achieving that goal, I am pretty stoked."

Carter, who works as a plumber, is eager to make the most of the opportunity Glenelg has provided.

"In the SANFL they have a senior side and a reserves side so I think I'll probably start off in the reserves," he said.

"I want to try and get into the league side as quick as I can and just keep growing every week and just be the best player I can be."

Carter, who thanked mum Suzanne Patterson for supporting his sporting pursuits, played roughly 150 junior football games for Heathmere before focusing on basketball.

He originally moved to Geelong to play basketball which remains a sporting passion.

"I don't play at all now just because my body probably couldn't handle it (and football) but I do miss it a lot," Carter said.

"It's definitely my favourite sport but I am just a bit better at football."

He believes the traits which stood out on the hardwood floor helped him establish himself on the football field.

"I am quite tall and athletic so it makes it a lot easier being a ruckman when I can cover the ground," Carter said.

The chance to live in four different states or territories - Victoria, Queensland, Northern Territory and soon South Australia - in the past 18 months has been something Carter has enjoyed.

"I love it up here, the weather is always beautiful and there's plenty to do in the way of fishing and camping," he said of Darwin.

"Playing footy in Cairns is awesome too - there's no rainy, cold days. It's high 20s every game and it's perfect weather for playing footy."

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